Surrey Hills Home Help Services 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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives we spoke with spoke highly of the service and felt genuinely cared for. Comments received included, “The carers are always very kind and respectful. They treat her with dignity and speak to her nicely She likes the carers and feels comfortable with them”,” They treat her with respect. She calls them her ladies and they respect her”, “Mum loves them which is great to see. They just want to help her and keep her safe at home. They are brilliant, they really are. They are kind and supportive” and “They are very caring. I enjoy seeing them. They always have time for me.”

Providing dignified care was a priority to the registered manager. They told us, “We ensure that we are providing dignity and compassion by making sure that they are the centre of their care. When completing personal care, we give them as much dignity as possible for example ask anyone who does not need to be in the room to leave and also to keep them covered when washing a different body part.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took into account people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People and their relatives felt staff knew them and their preferences well. One relative told us, “They respect her routines and preferences.” Another relative added, “They really understand her.” Most care plans we reviewed contained information about people’s likes, preferences and personal history. This allowed staff to identify talking points to form rapport and trusting relationships with people, as well as ensure people felt known as an individual. One staff member added, “I treat people as individuals by learning their preferences and giving the care that suits their needs while respecting them.”

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

The registered manager informed us staff encouraged people to be independent where possible to maintain their autonomy. One staff member told us, “I won’t have a [person] sit there if they can do some tasks for themselves. I have a gentleman who I will always say to him that I will sit and chat with him and will give him company whilst he shaves. I will always go over it and help where needed but will encourage them to be independent where they are able.”

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.

The registered manager told us, “I’m not a manager that sits behind a desk. I’m on the front line with my staff. I’ve always said how can I help my care staff note changes in peoples care if I don’t know them myself. All staff are trained in identifying differences such as swallowing, mobility etc. If they notice for example, someone is suddenly pouching their food in their mouth, they’ll tell the management and we’ll go out and assess, we’ll call the SALT (speech and language therapy) team or the GP and get them referred immediately.” Staff echoed this, with one staff member telling us, “If someone is unwell, I will respond quickly by checking their condition providing the basic care then contacting the right medical support or a supervisor. I make sure that they get help as soon as possible and that they stay safe.” This ensured any change to people’s needs were identified and resolved in a timely manner.

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

Staff had access to a wellbeing service 24 hours a day, should they feel they need support in this area. The registered manager told us, “We’re at the end of the phone for anything they need. When someone comes for a job, I explain to them it’s a very lonely role, and so I feel it’s really important they know they can come to us with any issues.” Staff confirmed this sentiment. One staff member told us, “The management teams support my wellbeing by checking in and keeping workload manageable. They also recognise and reward extra effort.” Another staff member said, “The management team supports our wellbeing and motivation through different ways, this might be through practical support, communication and recognition. There is a ‘carer of the month’ scheme where we are openly recognised for the work that we have been doing. We are continually praised on our work group chat by management, and when we have good feedback from clients and their families.” Other staff members told us they felt part of a ‘family’ working for the provider.