Brand Care

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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.

Care delivery was provided to people with the utmost kindness, empathy and compassion. Privacy, dignity and respect was fully upheld.

People, and the support afforded to relatives throughout their care journey was striking. One relative said, “Compassion and dignity is beyond good! The care is 100%. I am so well supported as an informal carer too. Before the care started, I didn’t feel like a [family member] I was just drowning. It has made such a difference to [name] and me.” Another relative said, “I devised what I call a ‘fact sheet’for the carers in addition to the care plan for the very intricate things such as changes to preferences in repositioning [Name] and I amend it as we go forward. I keep the ‘fact sheet’ on the bedroom door. The carers always follow this, and I have the utmost faith in them. They are so attentive and although they are not ‘family’ I kind of see it that way, and it’s how we feel!”

Staff were committed to, and delivered, person centred care to people with the utmost compassion and kindness. One staff member told us, “The support we provide to [name] includes the small things that are so important to them which you can only know if you get to know people really well. Things like washing their feet in a particular way and with the specific oil they prefer to relax them between care calls. We know exactly what the person wants and likes.”

The registered manager was proud of the care and support they delivered to people and said it’s what people should expect and receive. To maintain the provision of ongoing quality care they monitored and observed staff through spot checks. This enabled them to obtain real time feedback from people and relatives whilst visiting people’s homes to observe staff interactions and care delivery. These spot checks were undertaken very frequently and praised. A relative said, “A big part for me is the senior management doing spot check visits. It’s clear they want to make sure staff are and continue to deliver the best care.”

We reviewed a number of records relating to the support staff had delivered. All of these were in intrinsically detailed. This approach and style of recording told a ‘story’ at each call and were not focussed purely on the tasks completed. For example, ‘staff reassured [Name] they can choose and have autonomy of their own meal choice which successfully lowered their stress level and improved their mood’, and, ‘[Name] supported in the kitchen before enjoying a cup of tea and ate potato and egg plant curry whilst resting in their high chair’, and, ‘supported [Name] with combing their hair and styling it in a bun’.

All of the feedback received from relatives, staff, managers and records reviewed confirmed the service was wholly caring.

The provider truly treated people as individuals and made sure their care and support always met their needs and preferences. Assessments and care plans for people were wholly individualised, and consideration given to whether these needs could be met according to people’s preferences.

Care notes were written in depth at each call by staff detailing the support provided and demonstrating distinct and individualised care delivery. Extracts from care notes included, ‘I [staff] reassured [name] they have autonomy over their care’, ‘[Name] was positioned comfortably in bed according to preference and all necessary items were placed within reach’ and ‘after lunch [name] expressed a desire to relax in their room where we [staff] supported them to complete their exercises’.

People’s abilities, culture, backgrounds and protected characteristics were truly considered and met by the employment and deployment of staff. For example, one person requested a specific gender of staff from the same cultural background as theirs, and who also spoke their first language. Their relative told us, “Carers support [name] with their cultural preferences and they are able to speak with them in their own language which really helps them and us [family].”

Managers told us they aim to match staff according to people’s preferences and this is tested by introducing new staff to people alongside trusted and established staff first. A relative praised this approach and the length of time this arrangement was due to be in place for to allow time for relationships to build between them.

Staff shared their experience of working with different people according to their care and communication needs. One said, “I understand the person’s needs and choices because we [the service] provide information in their first language and we act like a ‘translator’ between English and their first language. This makes sure their voice is heard."

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

People’s preferences and routines in relation to personal care were recorded in detail to support staff to meet their individual them. When we compared people’s care plans against the care notes recorded by staff, and relatives feedback we found these all aligned with each other. This demonstrated to us people’s choice and control was maintained to the upmost.

A relative said, “Whilst it is difficult to improve my [name] independence, given their needs and likelihood of improvement, staff follow their routines and work hard at this and are very friendly, patient and understanding of us.” Nevertheless, there are some simple things they do, which might not sound a lot, like maintain [name] ability to look after their hair so it is styled how they like it. They do this all the time.”

Significant support and attention were afforded to relatives to maintain healthy relationships with their loved ones. A family member repeatedly stressed how the support they received enabled them to significantly improve their relationship with their relative as they were no longer providing full time care themselves which had become the predominant factor in their relationship.

Staff we spoke with were able to tell us about people in depth and how they chose to lead their lives, and the importance in their role to enable people to achieve this. This was gathered initially from assessment and care plan documentation and the positive relationships they formed with people during their care journey. A staff member said of one person they support, “I am here to help and support [name] how they want to be. It is also things that are not just the personal care part like; maintaining their choice of meals, where they like to sit in their home and ensuring when we leave they have what they need between our calls.”

The provider demonstrated the importance of listening to and understanding the views and wishes of people and relatives.

Ongoing consultation between them afforded people with opportunity to make changes to their care arrangements when they wished.

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. One person’s care plan recorded a fluctuating health condition and how this affected their daily life. A staff member said of this person, “We are aware of [name] anxiety and distress they often experience from day to day. We know the actions and things we need to do to reduce this by playing their favourite songs [in line with their religious beliefs] and chatting about the news.”

A relative said, “They [staff] are always trying different things to find out what does and doesn’t work when things aren’t too good.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff providing them with appropriate support.

Staff spoke positively about the management team and told us they felt valued and supported in their roles. They told us about how their well-being was discussed during their supervision and they could approach managers at any time in between to disclose any concern. A staff member said, “The managers are really good. They helped when I needed to take time off and kept my role open for me.”

This assured us the registered manager had created a positive culture within their workforce.