Evelyn Grace Ltd

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.People and their relatives spoke about feeling very reassured and confident in the care provided. People overwhelmingly felt their dignity was respected. Comments included, “They’ll (staff) do anything, often go that extra mile. They’re so patient” and “Despite having so many issues, their assistance is never intrusive, they treat me with respect. Always explain what they’re doing.” Staff described how they were mindful of treating people with respect and ensuring their had dignified care. This reinforced the strong culture of dignified, person centred care.

A person described how care staff created a warm and reassuring environment, telling us, “I’ve got three main carers on rotation. They share a lovely manner.” People described the friendly staff who they felt at ease with.

The registered managers and staff team recognised that providing care and showing kindness went beyond just visiting the person and carrying out the agreed tasks noted in their care plans. The registered managers knew people’s admission into hospital could have an impact on their mental health. For example, one of the registered managers had taken photos of an important tree in a person’s garden. When the person was discharged from a difficult stay in hospital, they were given a card with photos of the tree across the four seasons. This helped the person feel they had not missed out seeing these changes whilst they were in hospital and that they had been considered by the staff team.

Managers and staff demonstrated acts of kindness that went far beyond contractual care, particularly during periods of loss, illness or isolation. We were told of when a person had lost their partner and then their pet they were grieving from the loss of both. One of the registered managers using cross stitch, gave the person a picture of their pet to remind them of this. The person was happy that they had been thought of during this challenging time and knew the staff cared for them.

Information in people’s care plans clearly outlined people’s backgrounds, their passions and preferences and guided staff on ways to engage with people about topics that people enjoyed talking about. Feedback from staff repeatedly confirmed they were aware of respecting people’s rights and dignity, and they wanted to put people at ease. One staff member said, “Care and attention to personalised care is evident in the everyday running of the company.” These values were embedded throughout the service and consistently experienced by people using it.

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.

We saw overwhelming evidence that people were seen as unique people. Each care plan gave details about the person highlighting their individual needs. People praised the service and staff team, with everyone confirming staff understood their needs and were gentle in how they supported and encouraged them. Some people did not always want care, and staff took their time to get to know them and look at ways to help them without the person feeling pressured into agreeing to something they didn’t want to do. We heard about one person who struggled adjusting to receiving person care and so staff took their time to get to know the person, understand their anxieties and worked with the person in a caring manner in order for the person to accept the help they needed. We also heard that for some people starting off offering a visit to help clean the person’s home, or shopping for them, was a way for the staff to build a positive caring relationship with people. Once this was developed relatives told us people would then go on to accept personal care support.

Feedback from people showed how much they trusted staff and knew they were cared for in an exceptional way. One person told us, “All, and I mean all, the staff and managers, are wonderful. They’ve been coming to me for almost 10 years now, they know what to do sometimes before I know myself. The whole company are wonderful.” Another person said, “The social element of their visits is quite as important as the care.” A third person described staff knowing their individual needs and said, “They’re (staff) reliable and I trust them implicitly.”

Staff provided a bespoke service that was individual to the people they visited, people were seen as having different needs and preferences and not just people who required care and support tasks. One person told us, “They (staff) know my needs and routine as well as I do.” Staff had been creative in supporting people and bringing joy to their lives. One person, following a traumatic experience in hospital no longer wanted to leave their home. A staff member visited them with baby chickens, so they were bringing a bit of the outside into the person’s home. Staff reported the person appeared pleased and animated with this caring gesture. This example showed staff knew the importance of going the extra mile to show they cared about the person’s welfare.

All the staff who gave us feedback on the service spoke of the kind and care people received. A staff member told us, “The company and management team genuinely and sincerely prioritise client care in every decision.” This ensured people received care that was consistently person centred and responsive to their individuality.
 

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

Staff encouraged people to make decisions about routines, activities and personal preferences, and where appropriate help people maintain and develop skills and confidence. People could exercise control over how and when care was delivered.

People and their relatives felt staff encouraged them to be as independent as they can be. Care plans prompted staff to help people only where they could not carry out tasks for themselves. A relative commented, “(Person using the service) used to be very independent minded and would ‘do their own thing’ but they just can’t anymore. The care team try whenever they can to encourage the person to do things for themselves. They (staff) do seem to be succeeding.”

Feedback from staff demonstrated that they knew to offer a caring and flexible service, which gave the person the time to make daily decisions about their care. A staff member told us, “The care I’ve witnessed from my colleagues is like no other. Our clients are treated like family.”

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

One relative commented, “They’ve (staff) come to know and understand [person]. Learning that ‘there’s nothing wrong with me’ probably needs a bit of digging. They can now see when [person] is having a bad time and so can help them.” This demonstrated that staff could identify quickly if a person was not their usual self and required an assessment from a clinical professional. Another relative described how staff were vigilant and knew when people were unwell. Due to the trusting relationship staff had with people they would often tell staff if they felt unwell. This helped staff respond to people’s immediate needs.

Staff knew people’s needs very well as they regularly visited them. One staff member said, “I will always go overboard on tasks and will find jobs to do to support the client.”

The registered managers would often visit people following a care visit to check on how the staff had left the person and their environment. They reviewed if people were happy with the visit and this helped them identify any issues quickly. As the registered managers worked directly supporting people with their care needs, they instantly knew if something was wrong during a care visit. This helped them react without delay if they needed to act on a concern.

Staff described being able to access management support at all times, which enabled timely adjustments to care, increased staffing when needed and appropriate escalation to health professionals.

We were told how when people were going through challenging periods in their lives, the registered managers maintained regular contact with people and their relatives to offer support. This might be offering additional care visits to keep the person safe and well. We saw evidence of where the registered manager informed staff of exercises a person was advised to do via the physiotherapist. Drawings of the exercises were sent to staff, so they knew exactly how to encourage and support the person. This demonstrated staff were informed of people’s immediate and current needs and where they could carry out additional tasks to help people become stronger and more independent. It was evident that people received immediate and appropriate support during periods of vulnerability.

The registered managers always cared about and promoted the well-being of the staff team. They were exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff were exceptionally happy working for the service. They all commended the support they received, the induction and training and many told us there was good teamwork.

Staff could work flexibly to fit in with their own caring responsibilities. One staff member who needed the work to fit around their caring duties confirmed the registered managers accommodated this and ensured they had work that fitted into their commitments. Some staff told us when they had left the service they had soon returned as they knew the service met people’s and staff’s needs very well. Comments included, “I couldn’t think of a better team to work for” and “Opportunities given for staff to meet together following the loss of a client are essential for staff well-being. Staff are invited to raise a mug together or wherever we are at a certain time, to mark and respect this loss.”

All staff provided feedback they felt valued and were extremely proud to work for the service. Staff felt listened to and highly supported by the registered managers. One staff member told us, “Care means care at Evelyn Grace, not just for our clients but for each other, it’s a sisterhood filled with people that do this job for all the right reasons. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

The registered managers were accommodating to staff needs and there was a recognition of the benefit of having a work life balance for staff. Staff spoke positively about the availability of management support, including out‑of‑hours. They described being listened to when raising concerns or suggestions and felt able to ask for help when needed. Comments from staff included, “Evelyn Grace are very supportive employers, I have been very happy since joining” and “We complete an availability of hours at least two weeks in advance from start date. This gives us the change to change/alter our working rota to suit family’s needs. This is brilliant for me.” This supportive approach contributed to staff continuity and stable relationships between registered managers, staff and people using the service.