4 Futures

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

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 changed to outstanding.

This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Through feedback and observations, we were able to see that there was a culture of kindness. This extended to relatives and external professionals too. Staff told us they, and people, were always treated well by leaders, and that leaders set a culture made up of compassion and kindness which filtered down throughout the service.

One staff member told us, “There’s a lot of kindness and positivity within the house.” One relative told us, “They [staff] always bend over backwards for [person’s] birthdays or other events, and they will even pick me up, so I am not left out.”

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.

Care plans and other documentations, as well as care provided by staff and leaders, reflected people’s characteristics, embedded their hobbies and interests, and respected their likes and dislikes.

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

The provider encouraged and promoted independence reflecting people’s needs, preferences and what was important to them. We found that one person over a number of years, with a structured approach from the provider, had gained independence to fulfil their lifelong ambition of being able to travel independently to visit their relatives, and spend time on their own in the wider community, accessing activities and volunteer work that they’re interested in. Each time the person wants to achieve something new, within the community, such as new volunteer work or new activities, this same approach was applied. This enabled the person to feel supported where they were anxious about starting something new, with a focus on continuously developing their independence and broadening their opportunities.

Staff and the person’s relatives told us that this had greatly improved the person’s confidence and independence as it allowed them to plan their own time without being dependent on staff to support them. In addition, it allowed them to socialise, build friendships and contribute to the community. One relative told us, “They always encourage [person] and [person’s] confidence now is unbelievable.”

People were supported and encouraged to take ownership of their care, home and make choices. Where people required constant supervision from staff, the approach to their support was enabling and they were still encouraged to develop independent livings skills, such as cooking, cleaning and other household tasks.

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.

Some people experienced emotional distress and required behavioural support plans to be in place to enable staff to better support them. We found these to be detailed, informative and give clear and comprehensive guidance for staff on how to support people through this. The provider utilised a traffic light system within these plans to better suit the communication needs of people.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt their wellbeing was important, and they themselves felt important to the provider which in turn, positively impacted the care they provided to people using the service.

Staff were able to tell us about specific times they had needed additional support and how this support met and sometimes exceeded their expectations. Where staff required reasonable adjustments to enable them to complete their work the provider worked with staff to maximise their potential. At the beginning of their employment, staff were supported to trial creative approaches and different tools to establish the best support available for them to thrive in their roles. This was continuously reviewed by the provider and staff and adapted where there was a change in staff, or service need.

We found, and staff told us, that they had regular supervisions and appraisals, which helped them to feel supported. In addition to this, they told us that leaders were always approachable and accessible if they needed support.

There was opportunity for staff to progress within the provider, and this was done equitably based on length of service, skill and experience level.