Zara Healthcare

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 was our first assessment of Zara Healthcare Ltd, and we rated this key question 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.

Due to the nature of the service, we were not able to complete direct observation of care. However, we recognised from speaking with people, relatives and staff that there was a high level of satisfaction with this service and people were comfortable with staff. Staff practice was observed and any poor practice would be quickly identified and staff supported to improve. Additionally, staff were rewarded for good practice and met with the registered manager regularly to discuss how to improve the service.

Quality assurance was robust and highlighted actions taken from feedback. In the same vein feedback from complaints, incidents and safeguarding concerns were thoroughly addressed to ensure care upheld people’s safety and dignity. People described very good relationships with the care staff, who were said to respect dignity and privacy and gave examples of being kept covered during personal care, or having a preference for same sex carers respected. They also described warm relationships, which helped them to feel cared for and supported. One person said, “They’re all kind, caring and very considerate people.” Another said, “They have a game of dominoes with [person] at the end of the care visit. It’s something that [person] enjoys and it keeps his mind active and engaged.” We asked staff about how they cared and supported people. Staff told us about their induction and training they had received including dementia care, that strengthened their skills and knowledge, helping them better understand each person and what mattered to them. They also discussed supporting people with sensory loss and how this was recognised and taken into account when delivering care.

Care plans reinforced dignity, respect, equality, communication, and individualised care. A staff member told us, “What I enjoy most about my role is making a positive difference in people’s daily lives. Although the role can sometimes be challenging, particularly when individuals are unwell or experiencing difficulties, it is highly rewarding. I adhere to lone-working procedures by informing the office of my schedule and carrying a mobile phone to always ensure my safety.”

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 care plans were robust and provided details about the person’s life and important events to help staff understand what was important to them. Risks were identified and showed what mitigating action should be taken. and staff had training to help them understand what support they should give to support people’s independence and autonomy. Although no one was receiving end of life care, staff had training and care records documentation discussed whether people wished to be resuscitated. It also described any health condition and how to safely manage it.

Care plans included details about people’s family, faith, previous occupation and personal losses with guidance for staff on how to support people when feeling sad. There was an example where a person was sleeping on the sofa and staff showed skill and patience to understand why and how this situation could be resolved. The person had a fear of falling and additional visits were instigated. There was a further example of where a person was self- neglecting and with support and consent staff were able to escalate these concerns and support the person to access support which started with a mobile hairdresser to assist with personal grooming.

People told us that care staff understood and respected their individual needs and wishes. They also understood and took an interest in each other’s lives.

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

People were observed being supported by staff to remain independent and be in control of the care they received. People were clear that staff supported them in the way that they required and understood their needs. Staff worked with other professionals if the need arose such as the doctor or pharmacist if required.

Staff told us people made choices and the care and support delivered was based around their needs and preferences and with support and encouragement people. We asked people how their independence was maintained, one person said “They only help me with anything I can’t do, they don’t take over, as I’m independent minded, even though I’m (age in years). I don’t like asking and I still wash my own top half, I still tidy round from my wheelchair – things I can reach. I can’t reach up into cupboards now; they know what I can and what I can’t do.” One person was supported with online shopping to help them maintain their independence.

A family member told us staff were working with their relative to develop meaningful goals. They shared, “They are working on goals for independence, they’ve achieved a lot with [person], showers, hair wash, teeth cleaning, dentist, cooking and making drinks. Also making her own list and going shopping for food. It’s taken slowly because of [person’s] complex needs, but great progress has been made, and new goals are being set. I’m impressed.”

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.

People were involved in assessment and review of their needs and all felt able to contact the office and communicate with staff should it be necessary. Everyone spoke with were happy with their care and said if an issue arose this was minor and dealt with efficiently. Compliments were seen in regard to staff practice and people said staff treated them with respect which made them feel better.

People told us their individual needs were met. One person said, “They ask about my family and talk to me about their children. One carer likes to sit down with me at the end of the visit, if she’s done everything and has a bit of time and I’ll tell her all about the war, she sits and listens.”

Work force planning was robust, and care calls delivered in an agreed timescale and adapted should a person’s needs change for example if antibiotics were introduced and a person needed support to take these correctly extra calls would be put in place. Staff did not raise any concerns about their working duties and although some worked long hours these were monitored and staff had time off, travel time between care call and breaks across the day.

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

Staff were employed with a vast array of experience in health and social care and transferable skills. One staff member told us how they were welcomed to the team and completed training prior to delivering care and whilst waiting for checks to be in place to validate their suitability for employment.

Staff told us they had regular contact and support and felt valued within the team. They received role specific training in line with their specific interests and people’s needs. They had regular catch ups, team meetings, annual appraisals, spot checks, observations of practice and supervision which all helped to support and develop staff.

Recruitment was robust and induction helped to support and develop staff. Additional train the trainer roles were being considered to help ensure staff received timely training and the service worked with other professionals to identify and deliver training.