Dalesview Partnership Supported Living

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 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 95 (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.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day lives. A relative said, “Staff are kind and caring and I would recommend Dalesview to others without hesitation. The best thing is, our relative is looked after as part of a family, not an institution.” A person using the service said, “Staff are nice to me.” Others nodded and smiled when asked if staff were kind.

Partner’s spoke positively about staff conduct and their approach to people. One partner told us, “The staff are passionate about making the houses a home for tenants. The support I see provided is exemplary. In each house I see tenants being genuinely cared for, well looked after and the support is person centred.” Another fed back, “I have no concerns over the care given at the service. Any time I have attended any of the homes, I can see a high level of care is given. All staff give each person the respect, time and attention they need.”

Staff spoke to, and about people fondly and with compassion, and we observed kind and caring interactions. We observed 1 staff member speaking to a person in a gentle calm voice, whilst giving them a foot massage. The person appeared relaxed and was enjoying this interaction. Another person was offered a lot of positive attention and shown kindness when they were becoming distressed. These observations meant we were assured by staff who were genuinely kind and caring.

When asked what they most liked about their job, staff consistently told us it was the people they supported and being able to make a difference to their lives.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff and the management team had an excellent knowledge of people’s individual needs and preferences and strived to meet these. A relative told us, “The staff know [person] well and are able to interpret their idiosyncrasies.”

The staff team ensured people’s communication needs were fully met and understood, to enable them to engage in their care and support and maximise their experience. A YouTube channel had been created by the service and was being used to promote signing. The communication lead explained another service-wide communication goal was to develop ‘positioning’, designed to foster effective interactions and participation. A recent communication audit acknowledged the work staff had undertaken around good positioning and how this had been really successful in engaging people fully in a household activity. As a result, a person who usually preferred their own space was able to enjoy a disco with their housemates. Staff were given guidance on how this could be developed to improve people’s experiences even further.

People’s cultural and religious needs were met. Staff confirmed cultural preferences were respected when preparing meals and carrying out personal care, and people were supported to practice their religion. A relative told us, “We are a Catholic family and after Covid, they transitioned [person] back to Church. [Person] enjoys Church and the friendships there.”

People were supported to personalise their bedrooms and homes with photographs, artwork and things that mattered to them.

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.

People had exceptional access to activities and the local community, to support their independence, health and wellbeing. A relative told us, “The lifestyle plan is very important to us. [Person] needs to be out and about; bikes for all, horse riding, swimming and visiting the garden centre. [Person] is not sociable with the other residents, so the staff interact with them and look at photographs etc.” Staff showed us the sensory story packs recently introduced, and we observed people enjoying baking, dancing, zoom and sensory sessions. The service had implemented several zoom activities during COVID-19 and these continued to be well-attended and enjoyed; and theme days were held annually across the service.

A lifestyle team were responsible for creating personalised timetables, offering support to reduce any barriers to attendance and leading activities. Staff monitored people’s participation and enjoyment, and information fed into thorough annual reviews. One review explained how textures, sounds and smells had been used to enhance a person’s experience of activities.

People were supported to attend visits, days out and short breaks with relatives, and were encouraged to develop new or existing friendships with their peers. A relative explained, “There is someone [person] knows from college who lives in a nearby home. Dalesview are putting in sessions to facilitate this friendship using music therapy.”

Relatives confirmed the service actively promoted independence, choice and control. One relative said, “My aspirations for [person] is to live a full, independent life. Here there is the opportunity to choose the food, activities, to visit the other houses and to go shopping. Choices are promoted.” People had their own tenancy agreements and were supported to understand their rights as tenants.

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 were alert to people’s needs and responded in the most appropriate way. A staff member said, “For [people] who are non-verbal, the communication guide outlines how people display pain or emotions, and staff know people really well, so will usually know.”

We observed staff asking people if they were ok, or needing support and staff were responsive to requests.

Staff could quickly recognise when people needed urgent help or support, offering appropriate assistance. A relative told us, “Recently there was a health setback which the staff handled sensibly.” Another added, “Staff gave great support to [person] when they were poorly.”

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.

People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and colleagues, and had access to help if they were struggling at work. Staff feedback was consistently very positive. A staff member told us, “I feel staff are very cared for. We get hampers at Christmas and vouchers for completing staff surveys.” Another added, “In the past I have gone to leaders with a personal issue, and they have been really accommodating, and set things up that have helped.” Staff received vouchers and acknowledgements for ‘employee of the month’ nominations and long service, and positive feedback was shared in quarterly newsletters to boost morale.

A member of the human resources (HR) team spoke about staff wellbeing and how this was promoted. The service worked closely with local ‘well-women’ and ‘well-men’ support groups, facilitating drop-in sessions; and staff had access to wellbeing resource packs. Leaders were trained in mental health wellbeing to enable them to support affected staff appropriately. We saw a reminder in the service’s quarterly newsletter about the ‘employee assistance program’ available to staff suffering from stress, bereavement, relationship issues, financial or health concerns.

A family friendly policy had been introduced in 2024 which acknowledged the importance of good well-being for working parents, listing support available. Other policies were also considerate of staff wellbeing and safety.