Always Caring Bromley Limited

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. Feedback from people and their relatives confirmed staff knew and understood their needs well and staff treated them with respect and kindness. A person told us, “Staff understand [loved ones] complex behaviours, they know how to de-escalate situations, and this has contributed significantly to improvements in [loved ones] wellbeing.” A second person told us, “Staff know [loved ones] needs well and understood how to support [loved one] appropriately.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and backgrounds and any protected characteristics. A person told us that they had “been lucky with this company” as staff had managed their loved ones needs well something that previous providers had not, stating “we've noticed a really massive positive difference from this company.”

Care plans detailed people’s backgrounds, histories, likes and dislikes, as well as social, cultural, sexual, and religious needs. Staff provided support in ways that respected and met these needs. Staff understood what mattered to people and helped them maintain those aspects of their lives. A person said, “Staff support [loved ones] religious practice of lighting a candle each day.”

Staff received training on equality and diversity and treated people with respect. The registered manager told us they held learning opportunities and group discussions during staff meetings to ensure learning was embedded.

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

People and their relatives told us care and support was personalised to meet their individual needs and wishes. Staff told us they promoted people’s independence by encouraging and supporting them to do the things they could do for themselves. People were supported to receive care and support in line with their wishes and people were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care. The service supported people to understand their rights by using and providing information in formats and languages to meet their needs.

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. A person said, “Staff are generally on time, and the supervisor will telephone if there is likely to be a delay.” A second person commented, “[Loved one] had been discharged from hospital unexpectedly, so it happened very quickly. The company's catch phrase ‘don't worry’ was very accurate and I was so impressed with the carer as to how they handled it and how they did the handover from the hospital team.”

Staff understood how people’s physical and mental health needs affected their emotions, behaviours, and daily activities and provided support to meet these needs when required.

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

Staff told us they felt well supported by the registered manager and provider. They told us they felt listened to and respected. A member of staff commented, “We have good teamwork and I feel appreciated. There is always someone I can contact, we have an out of office number so someone is always available to speak with. We have regular team meetings, and I have supervision on a regular basis, I feel very much supported.”