St Anne's Community Services - York DCA

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.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and communicated with people in an understanding and empathetic way. We saw staff interactions with people were kind and caring, and staff had clear positive relationships with people.

Staff spoke about people respectfully, and told us about the importance of treating people with dignity and compassion. One professional told us, “The team treats [person] with a high level of dignity and respect” and a relative told us, “Staff are kind, caring, respectful, very welcoming and helpful."

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’s individual needs and preferences were understood and reflected in their care and support. Staff knew people’s individual needs well, and there was a strong focus on ensuring new staff were supported to gain a good understanding of people’s unique personalities and preferences. New staff had time to create a professional bond with people. One staff member told us, “I pass on my skills and explain to new staff in a lot of detail about [person’s] needs, for example what they like and don’t like, and how to communicate with them.”

People and their families were involved wherever possible, to ensure support was tailored to the individual person. One relative told us, “Staff all seem to understand [person] really well. They always include me in decisions and how to best deal with things. Staff have a good understanding of [person’s] needs and our needs as a family."

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

Staff gave people choice wherever possible, and understood how to communicate choices to people so as to not overwhelm them, enabling them to make meaningful decisions on a daily basis.

Staff, alongside people and their families, had created goals and targets to increase people’s independence in ways which were meaningful to them. People were supported with tasks and encouraged to do different things at their own pace and in their own time. People’s independence had blossomed; for example, people were able to choose and make their own drinks, help to order and pay in cafes, choose their own music, choose activities they would like to do, and open the door to visitors with support.

People were supported to maintain relationships with people important and close to them. Relatives could visit at any time and were supported to be involved in all aspects of people’s lives. One relative told us, “When I am with [person], staff will give us the time and space to have quality time together, but they are there in the background if needed."

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 had clear guidance which set out how to effectively support people when they may become distressed. Staff understood the guidance and applied it consistently. This had resulted in a reduction in people experiencing distress and incidents of self-harm. Staff spoke knowledgeably about supporting people in the moment and felt confident they knew how to effectively and safely support people. One professional told us, “The staff show a clear understanding of their responsibilities regarding safety and well-being."

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

The provider had initiatives in place to support staff wellbeing, which included access to a confidential counselling service and achievement awards to recognise and celebrate good practice.

Staff spoke about a positive morale within the service, with feedback including, “Staff morale is good”, “The staff team is much happier”, and “Staff are very well supported."