GUTU

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.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People were involved in their support and asked to express their views, feelings and supported to communicate in a way which met their needs best. People’s relatives told us, “Where [person] is now, I am very happy with how they treat them.”, and “[Staff] are very, very supportive and caring.” Staff spoke about people in a caring way and knew them well as individuals. When people got anxious, staff were able to redirect them and reassure them in a dignifying way.

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 said about making sure people’s support was individualised, “People change, so what worked for them a year ago, may not now”. People’s support plans were personalised and included information on their life stories, preferences, skills and strengths, as well as what encouragement and practical help they needed to make sure they felt valued and supported.

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 organise their day, to take care of themselves and their homes. We saw staff engaged with people in their preferred way and involved them in support they provided, for example, around cleaning, meal preparation or planning the day and what they wanted to do. A relative commented how this enabled people, “Where [person] is now, they have guidance from [staff], they take daily showers, they can cook for themselves, have independence when they need it. If it happened 20-25 years ago, they would have very different lives.” Where people needed specialist support around their distress and coping with difficult situations, their positive behaviours support plans were detailed and different areas of need, such as living environment, sensory needs or past experiences, were considered to find the best ways to support them.

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We observed staff reassuring and redirecting people when they were becoming anxious, offering choices and encouraging them to do things that calmed them down and provided with familiar structure to the day. A relative said, “[People] are treated well, they are very respectful staff, every support is given when needed. [Staff] encourage independence but treat [people] with respect and support.” People’s support plans included information on how people communicated their needs and how they showed when something was wrong. Staff knew people well and could recognise and respond to those signs, offering appropriate support.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills. The new training programme and refresher courses offered since the last inspection were complimented by staff. The provider reviewed their training, implemented staff awards scheme, and sourced an external wellbeing support resource for staff. The positive behaviour team offered regular debriefs and reflective conversations for staff who might have supported people in distress and in difficult situations.