Reablement Provider Service

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 85 (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 and family members spoke positively of how staff treated them with kindness and empathy and respected. A person told us, “Staff attitude is excellent. They always talk nicely to us and are always kind. They understand dementia.”

The provider had collated feedback from people and their families about the service, which highlighted the professionalism and warmth of staff, and the importance of feeling listened to and involved in decisions.

Most people were supported by staff whose gender was as they preferred. However, a few people said the gender of staff was not always as they wished. A family member told us, “My [person] was supported by female carers on some occasions, and [person] is not comfortable with women carers, providing personal care” The person went onto say, “I understand, it’s a temporary service, and all the carers were friendly, kind and considerate.” The registered manager and staff team, where possible when scheduling calls considered people’s gender preferences. However, due to the ever-changing needs of the service, this was not always possible and was explained to people during the assessment process.

People’s care records were written by staff with consideration as to people’s dignity. Staff detailed the care provided, and any issues were recorded sensitively without bias or judgement. A workshop for staff had been delivered which focused on recording and reporting.

Staff had received training on equality and diversity. A member of staff said, “I have received training on dignity and respect, it’s very important in the work we do in the community.” The registered manager informed us, which was confirmed by records, that staff received regular training on equality, dignity, human rights and unconscious bias.

The reablement service provided food parcels to those who used the service where required, which included circumstances where a person had returned to their home, following a stay in hospital.

The registered manager spoke of opportunities for reflective supervision and multi-disciplinary discussions, which provided a space to challenge assumptions, consider how to offer choice, and recognised the small adaptations that can preserve someone’s dignity or autonomy in moments that matter, from dressing routines to medication decisions or cultural observance.

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.

People were supported by a diverse staff team, which enabled them to meet people’s cultural and religious needs. A person told us, “Staff were all nice and knew how to help me. All were lady carers and that’s what I wanted. They understood my culture, all of them were Hindu, and respected my traditions.”

Assessments of people’s needs identified people’s abilities, and the areas in which rehabilitation was required to maximise people’s independence, to strengthen their abilities, in support of good quality of life outcomes.

The assessment process included identifying any specific needs based on people’s culture, religion or language requirements. A member of the management team spoke of a person who had been referred to the service who was deaf. The member of staff had liaised with several key partner agencies with the person, and on their behalf. They told us this had given them greater insight to the challenges faced. This had resulted in a discussion amongst the management team, as to how they could improve their service. In response, to enhance communication, transparent PPE masks would be made available to staff to make it easier for people to read lips and recognise and respond to staff facial expressions. The registered manager confirmed training for staff in supporting people with a hearing impairment would be provided over the next year.

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.

People spoke of the collaborative approach between themselves and staff by identifying goals based on what was important for them to achieve, promoting and maximising independence. A person told us, “I discussed using a sock applicator with staff, and spoke with them about learning how to get into and out of the bath safely. We spent 2 days practicing getting my socks on. We discussed my progress together.” A family member told us, “Staff encourage [person] to be independent, like getting cups out of the cupboard and putting sugar in the tea. They are encouraging [person] to dress themselves.”

Staff were highly motivated and committed to supporting people on their recovery and rehabilitation journey. All our interactions and conversations with staff at all levels within the service evidenced they understood the importance of their role, both for the person themselves and their family.

A wide range of key stakeholder partners were unequivocal in their praise of the service, and its impact on those who the service supported. A key partner told us, “The support the service offers to people is tailored to their needs. Working with people to develop their skills and confidence rather than de-enabling them by doing tasks for them.”

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 were involved in decisions regarding their day-to-day life, for example, what they wanted to wear and worked collaboratively with staff on achieving their rehabilitation and recovery goals. People spoke of the responsiveness of the service. A person told us, “Normally staff come at 10am, however today I asked them for an 8am call on a Sunday so I could go to Church. They have been very accommodating.”

People’s care records detailed their day-to-day needs, which included any choices they made. This included people’s choice not to engage with staff, as well as agreeing to the accepting of new goals. Where people chose not to engage with staff, records were kept of the actions taken by staff to encourage the person, and any follow up actions taken to improve people’s engagement. In some instances, people’s choices not to engage were temporary, however, in some instances where the person decided not to engage, then the reablement service withdrew their support, in a co-ordinated and measured approach, liaising with other agencies to ensure a safe referral or transfer to other services if required.

People’s care plans detailed their day-to-day needs and preferences. Care records reflected how people were to be given choices and have these respected. Communication with staff was effective in sharing information as to any changes in people’s needs through a range of forums, which included electronic care records and meetings. Robust and timely sharing of information with key partner agencies, ensured a responsive service that was able to meet people’s needs.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The registered manger was committed to recognising and valuing the cultural and religious diversity of both people who used the service and staff. Personal beliefs, traditions and practices were supported. Language and gender preferences were considered, including when scheduling care calls.

Realistic staff rota schedules were developed to ensure sufficient travel time for staff between care visits. Rotas were developed with consideration to the cultural and religious needs of staff. Staff workforce diversity was monitored to ensure the team was reflective of people’s demographic and needs.

The registered manager demonstrated their commitment to the well-being of staff. All staff were proactively encouraged to participate in workshops facilitated by an external organisation, whose aim was to encourage staff to explore their own spirituality, learning skills of reflection and meditation in support of well-being. Staff were asked to complete a survey as part of the workshop, which focused on specific aspects of their work. For example, manageable workloads, travelling time between care calls, support when dealing with complex and challenging situations, their perception of personal safety, the support they received from the management team, and an indicator as to their level of stress.

Staff spoke enthusiastically of the well-being workshop and demonstrated a keenness to engage and embrace the information given by the facilitators of the workshop. The registered manager informed us, the feedback from the completed surveys would be used to identify any specific themes and trends, as well as looking as to how further well-being events could be planned and implemented based on staff feedback.

Staff spoke positively of the support they received from their line manager. A member of staff told us, “I am always able to ring managers, I’ve never had an issue with not getting support, I’ve had nothing but outstanding support.”

The provider’s policies further underpinned staff well-being, including well-being passports for staff. A staff member spoke of the reasonable adjustments made, which included flexible working patterns, based on their caring responsibilities. An employee assistance programme, and an occupational health team further supported staff where required. A reward scheme acknowledged individual achievement and recognition. Information around human resources, including all forms of leave and safety were underpinned by the provider’s policies and procedures.