Cera - Cumbria

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.

People were generally happy with the care and support they received.

A family member told us, “I do believe that the carers are very effective, they always treat my relative with respect and dignity.” Another told us, “All the carers are very caring towards my relative.

Person told us, “I am very happy with the carers I get and have no complaints.”

A staff member told us, “I like to get to know my clients, I can tailor the care, otherwise people won't be comfortable”.

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.

We found peoples care plans reflected their individual needs and wishes. The registered manager shared with us the support provided to a person with protected characteristics which enabled them over time to increase their self-confidence.

A staff member told us, “We have to do what they expect of us, it’s the same approach as if they were coming into our own home, we respect.”

People told us they felt they were treated well. A person told us “All the carers treat me with dignity and respect. I have asked for female carers only and in the 2 years I have been receiving these carers I have never had a male carer turn up, which is appreciated.”

Some families we spoke to felt there was a lack of consistency in the staff undertaking the calls. This could be unsettling for some people who required routine and familiarity.

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

People were supported to make their own choices wherever possible, for example choosing the food they wanted to eat or clothes they wanted to wear.

Where necessary equipment was available to people in their own homes to ensure their safety. To support staff to understand how this might feel for people all staff are expected to experience being in a person’s situation where equipment is being use, for example being hoisted.

Regular communication was evidenced between the provider and other agencies, for example occupational therapists to ensure any changes in needs were shared.

A visiting professional told us, “The agency seem as though they are able to build good working relationships with service users and appear to provide a good level of care which is reflected in reviews.”

A family member told us, “I think that by respecting my relative’s wishes in regard to the people doing their personal care, (the provider) has understood and supported my relative’s decision. That is how it should be.” Another family member told us, “My relative has a regular set of carers for their personal care, they now see them as being their friends, which is a godsend for us.”

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.

Staff reported changes in people’s needs quickly and this meant people got the right support without delay.

A staff member told me they had a good relationship with the district nurses and regularly shared information with them. Out of hours contact details were available to all staff which meant they could access additional support and guidance if required.

Most people we spoke with were happy with the care they received. A person told us “I would rate them 10/10. They are all lovely carers, all of them treat me well. If they are running late, they will ring me.”

A family member, who’s relative had been admitted to hospital told us, “The carers were here and rang 999 straight away, they were brilliant helping both my relative and me.”

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

Staff told us they felt well supported in undertaking their roles.

They received regular supervisions and appraisals and training and induction programmes with annual refresher training where appropriate. If specific training was required or requested by staff this would be looked at by the management team, who could provide this through their in-house training team.

The management team told us staff feedback was valued and staff told us they felt listened to and heard. A staff member told us, “It’s an organisation that cares about staff wellbeing, staff are being taken care of, we feel listened to.” Another told us, “The organisation is concerned for their carers, it allows us suggestions, they will listen, we are heard.”

Staff also felt they could make suggestions to the management team, and these would be considered.

The provider supported staffs’ overall health and wellbeing by offering an employee assistance programme which included access to mental health first aiders who offered independent and impartial support.

The provider offered reward schemes for staff, these included carer of the month, and a benefits scheme, which gave staff discounts on a range of goods and services.

Staff also had access to a Care friends app on their phones. This was a financial reward scheme supporting staff sharing new vacancies with friends and family, it increased in value dependant on how successful the applicant was.

Staff had access to staff meetings and information was shared regularly with staff through the staff network app on their phones.

Staff told us their workloads were manageable although some staff told us they would like more consistency in the hours they were offered.