Helping Hands Gloucester

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 changed to Outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The leadership and staff embedded a culture of kindness and understanding towards people they supported and were committed to finding solutions to enhance people’s lives and make that little bit easier where they were able. One staff told us, “I love the work. I just love going and helping people. Especially the ones who don’t really have family and stuff. That makes me happy.”

This ethos of kindness was reinforced to staff at every opportunity. We saw this recorded in the recent February 2026 staff meeting minutes reminding staff that kindness was the service’s foundation and about the purpose and why it is important. We saw that staff recorded their visits using respectful language and shared if they had enjoyed a nice conversation with the person and how they were that day. One visit log recorded the person was worried their milk may have gone sour, so the staff member immediately alleviated their concern by going to the local shop and purchasing fresh milk.

People and their relatives consistently shared high praise for the staff and the care they received. We saw positive feedback recorded about staff professionalism, the genuine care shown and how well they met people’s needs. In addition, when we spoke with people they talked warmly about staff saying, “They are friendly and [relative] is always very happy when I get back, which reassures me she is happy with them”, “They are all absolutely wonderful”, “yes the carers are as good as gold” and “They support me in a way that makes a real difference to my daily life. I couldn’t do without them.”

There were examples of care shown that demonstrated an above and beyond approach and attitude in meaningful ways that mattered most to people. Staff had identified 1 person would be celebrating a milestone birthday without their family due to distance and care was not scheduled to be provided on this day. To ensure this person would not be celebrating alone an extra care call was implemented and staff took the person to their favorite place for lunch and spent time that afternoon talking and sharing birthday cake. This act of kindness had a big impact on this person who did not have to be alone.

Another person supported by the service had sadly lost their partner in a short span of time and staff identified the emotional toll this was having upon this person’s health. Staff started to stay later than the scheduled call to lessen the isolation and distress the person was experiencing. This was picked up within the office and highlighted with staff that it should be raised so they could extend the visit and ensure staff received the correct pay for their time. However, all staff refused to accept this stating they had chosen to provide this support on a personal level during this short-term phase as the person adapted to their changed circumstances. The staff had recognised a need for support that they stepped up to manage demonstrating a high level of intuition, care and kindness.
 

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Leaders fostered a culture where individuality was celebrated, and people’s rights, preferences and identity were at the forefront of the care provided and choices made. This meant that people felt safe and comfortable to share the more sensitive parts of their lives in the knowledge that they were respected, valued and listened to at every step of their care journey.

The service supported a same gender couple who had been unable to share their relationship status with the wider society due to previous discrimination. Over time as they grew confidence in the service they felt able to share this part of their lives which was a significant step for them, and the service in receiving this trust. Leaders and staff were able to ensure that the care provided reflected and supported the couple’s preferences and choice for privacy and confidentiality, encouraging a safe and non-judgemental space for them to be completely themselves. Staff demonstrated an investment in their care approach that focused on what mattered most to people and a high level of regard to people’s protected characteristics, the importance of identity and how to adapt practices to give meaningful care.

Staff were skilled in recognising people as individuals and sought to enhance this during their care visits by working collaboratively and taking time to listen and hear what was important to people. Everyone we spoke with told us without hesitation staff were lovely towards them, were caring and understood them as individuals commenting, “No concerns. My [relative] appears to be treated fairly and respectfully” and “They have a good understanding of his routine and preferences.”

Staff understood how to structure care in ways that enabled people to be active agents and seen as individuals, no matter how small the interaction was. One staff told us, “Every client I visit has the options to make decisions throughout the calls. Our management involves them throughout the process of making the care plans and we involve them with even the small things as simple as asking how like they their tea. I’ve found that asking questions, even if I know the answer keeps a conversation flowing and makes them feel like I am there as a friend rather than a carer.”
 

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

It was evident people had been fully involved in designing their individual care journey from the start. Choice was promoted throughout and information was recorded in a way that demonstrated respect that followed through into practice. We saw one person’s plan described to staff how they wished to be offered a choice of drinks and then proceeded to outline how they liked their drinks made and in which cup they preferred. Another person had a condition that had affected their dexterity, and this had been explored and the impact recognised more time was needed to now complete things but they did not want their independence taken away as a result of appearing unable when they were just slower.

Staff took their lead from people and spoke confidently about recognising and enabling people to do what they could for themselves. Staff told us, “For example, some clients when I cook for them, they would like to be engaged in the cooking, so I will be there helping them, but I support them to be engaged as well”, “I always encourage clients to try to do as much themselves, whether it be dressing, washing or moving around. I can assist them If needed but I believe very much so that if they don’t use it, they lose it..” and “They have a right of choice. For example, when I help them with a shower, we give them a choice, do they want us with them or do they want privacy? We always ask.”

We saw care plans also took this stance recording what areas of their care a person wanted to achieve and how staff could support them to retain these skills and what areas may need additional support. There were reminders for staff to offer choices throughout and people’s ability to make choices was clearly defined. One person told us, “They are all absolutely wonderful. I feel valued and respected.”

People and their relatives had confidence they would maintain autonomy over their care decisions and would be fully supported by staff to reach the outcomes that were important to them. The service had worked with two people who placed high importance on wanting their family members involved and present in their care reviews. The family members lived a considerable distance away which made this hard to always attend in person. It was arranged for the assessment to continue in person with the individual, but a team’s call was set up on staff’s laptop so the families could be part of this meeting and discussions. This proved to be highly beneficial to everyone by promoting the person’s choice and enabling important information to be shared by family members that may have not been disclosed otherwise.
 

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

Staff were well versed in responding to people’s immediate need and escalating concerns where required. Staff were able to confidently describe any emergency procedures they would follow if necessary to get people help and knew how to work alongside people’s communication needs so this did not become a barrier to understanding their needs. The registered manager told us, “We have conversations around communication, we talk to people in assessments and how they want us to communicate. Staff are aware of this and how to communicate. During reviews we also discuss this.”

People felt confident in staff practice and that they would take swift action to respond appropriately should they need further support or their needs change. One relative told us, “They do contact me. They are responsive and will call straight away if something needs discussing.” One person said, “There have been no issues requiring escalation, but I feel confident they would act appropriately.” We saw that people’s care plans included information for staff to follow on how to respond in certain situations to ensure that people received the care they needed at the appropriate time.

There were clear examples within the service where leaders and staff had responded flexibly and proactively to meet people’s needs. One person who was living with a terminal illness received all their care and support from their partner. The partner was due to attend a funeral, so staff worked in a timely way to complete an assessment and implement care support visits in time for them to attend the funeral. The registered manager put this in place quickly to alleviate the worry about who would support their partner whilst they were away. The service has since used this approach to refine a faster response to short term care requests so people can access care in moments of crisis when needed.
 

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff wellbeing was a priority in the service. This had a positive impact on the care they delivered to people. One staff member told us, “It’s positive and supportive. I do really enjoy my job, and I really enjoy working for helping hands.” The registered manager spoke about fostering good communication among the team through regular team meetings, the creation of newsletters and weekly updates commenting, “Staff are good at talking to us, we get a lot of feedback and communication, and we have worked on building this rapport with them.”

Staff had access to information and incentives designed to equip them in their role. This included an employee handbook provided when they joined the service, containing information on the service, employee benefits and references to equality and expectations. Staff were also able to use an early pay application that enabled them to draw a percentage of their monthly pay earlier if they needed. In addition, staff had access to an employee confidential service which provided 24/7 support for staff to manage personal or work-related issues.

The registered manager had worked to build positive relationships among the staff team and ensure they felt valued for the work they did. One recognition in place was ‘Moments of kindness’ which was where a staff member was chosen for acknowledgement within the service, following positive feedback from people, their relatives and staff. Events had also been organised and planned for staff, to bring the team together and strengthen relationships aside from the working environment.