Hales Group Limited - Leeds

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 80 (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.

All staff had a caring attitude and their relationships with people and those close to them were positive. One staff member told us, “We put people at the centre of the care and making sure that we are following their care plan, following their choices, following the way they want to be looked after as long as they have the capacity and make choices.”

The service also promoted a culture of kindness and recognition, with staff taking opportunities to celebrate important milestones and personal achievements. People received birthday cards and personalised gifts, which were voluntarily created by office staff and funded through staff-led initiatives such as dress-down days and voluntary contributions. These thoughtful actions reflected a workforce that was motivated to make a meaningful difference to people's lives and foster a sense of belonging and inclusion.

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.

Where the new care planning format had been implemented, care plans were detailed, personalised and reflected people’s preferences, life histories, backgrounds, routines and aspirations. For example, where a person required support with meal preparation, their care plan clearly described how they preferred tasks to be completed and the support they wished to receive. This helped ensure staff had the information needed to build meaningful relationships and provide support in a way that was familiar, comfortable and aligned with the person’s individual needs and preferences.

We found some people continued to have care plans in the previous format, which were not always updated as consistently as required. The registered manager was aware of this and had implemented a plan to transfer all individuals onto the new care planning system. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs, preferences and routines, and there was no evidence that the quality or consistency of care provided had been adversely affected while this transition was taking place.

Discussions with people and staff demonstrated that positive, respectful and caring relationships had been established. Staff spoke warmly about the people they supported and showed a genuine commitment to promoting their wellbeing. One staff member told us, “I do this job because of the people I meet and get to spend time with. I love making sure people have the care and support they need.” This was consistent with the caring and person-centred interactions observed throughout the assessment.

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 exercise choice and control over their care and were involved in decisions relating to their care, treatment and wellbeing. They were encouraged to maintain relationships and social networks that were important to them and were supported to remain as independent as possible.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of promoting independence and maintaining social connections. One staff member told us, “I support people to maintain contact with family and friends where this is part of their care plan, for example assisting with phone calls.” Another staff member said, “To maintain independence I would offer choices, assess people’s capabilities and always encourage people to do what they can for themselves.”

Where required, people had access to appropriate equipment to support their needs and promote their independence.

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.

We saw evidence that the provider had sought and reviewed feedback from people using the service and their relatives. This feedback demonstrated that people were satisfied with the support they received.

The provider operated a 24-hour on-call service, which people could access in the event of an emergency.

Staff told us they were aware of people’s needs and knew how to support them. A staff member said,” I support people by listening to what they want, knowing them and their needs prior to the visit and following the care plan.”

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

The provider demonstrated a commitment to promoting staff wellbeing and ensuring staff were supported to deliver high-quality care.

Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the management team and described the service as a positive place to work. One member of staff said, “I think they’re very approachable. I’ve never had any issues. I know a lot of people complain about things, but personally I don’t have any concerns.” Another staff member told us, “Whenever we need support or help, we contact the office. If there isn’t enough travel time between visits, we let them know and they make the necessary changes.”

The registered manager informed us of the employee assistance programme that staff could access should they wish to do so.

These comments reflected a supportive management culture where staff felt listened to and able to access assistance when required.