Warrington Borough Council Intermediate Care at Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Most people told us that staff were respectful. Their comments included “Very respectful”; “The carers are good. Friendly, and treat me with respect. They clean up after themselves. They have been very good”; “Some (Staff) were excellent and sat and spoke to me”; “The majority did sit and spend a time talking and enquiring about how I was feeling”; and “Very good service. You only have to ask. Communicate well and understand what is being said.” Comments from one person stated that privacy was not always considered, for example, ensuring that curtains were closed prior to dressing, another said they had felt rushed by some staff. Staff who were part of current changes to working patterns told us that with the new way of working they had more time to spend with people.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff had access to policies, procedures and training in equality and diversity.

The assessment process enabled staff to be aware of and plan for any specific needs or life pathways of people. People told us staff recognised them as individuals and felt staff actively listened to them. One family member told us they have “Rapport with the staff. They are all very good. They are angels. I watch them and help them they do everything they need to do.”

Most people were happy with the staff who visited them. However, two people told us that scheduling could improve to support people’s choices, for example, in relation to the gender of staff and times of their calls. This feedback was shared with the provider and management team who acknowledged learning points for the team.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Following a person’s assessment of their needs, when required, other health care professionals were brought in to the person’s reablement plan. For example, district nursing services; occupational and physiotherapists. These additional resources enabled people to have further benefit from their period of reablement.

People told us that they had been supported by other health care professionals and staff through their reablement journey. Comments included “The visits have been helpful.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People and their family members told us staff responded quickly to ensure their needs were met. For example, support with a household emergency and accessing medical supplies they needed urgently. Another person told us it took a while getting used to having support with their personal care and that it “Took a few days to get used to privacy of her body. They (staff) are very gentle and respectful.” People told us they found contacting the service easy and staff were helpful.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The majority of staff told us that they felt supported in their role, and they received regular support from the management team, both within the workplace and with personal issues. Recent changes had been made to the work patterns of some staff to promote an improved work life balance. Staff told us that starting and ending their workday at the office enabled to catch up with colleagues and speak to a member of the management team if needed.