Right at Home Eastbourne

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 80 (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.
Feedback from people and their loved ones, was that staff treated them kindly and with respect. Comments included, “Staff are caring and kind and always smiling, my loved one’s face lights up when she sees them,” “The staff are caring, they do their job really well” and “I look forward to their visit, they bring life with them.” Another person added, “Staff always announce themselves before entering.” Staff told us how important it was to ensure people were treated with dignity. One staff member said, “They all need care but it’s how we do it that matters as well, respect and dignity are so important especially with personal care.” Professionals who worked alongside staff provided similar feedback about staff and the service, one said, “Professional, respectful and caring.” Another said, “Transparent and honest.”

Case studies for certain people followed their journey and celebrated the positive outcomes. For example, for those people who wished to e supported at home for their final days were supported by kind and dedicated staff who allowed this wish to be fulfilled. Staff had listened and ensured their final days were comfortable and peaceful and their dignity maintained. Staff ensured that all health professionals were involved and kept up to date on the persons health needs.

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. The registered manager matched staff with similar interests and backgrounds to people and tried to maintain consistency among the staffing team that supported people. Some people told us that the only grumble they had was inconsistency of staff, which they told us, they had discussed with the registered manager. We discussed this with the management team who advised they would look in to this thoroughly.

Staff were aware of people’s preferred routines, likes and dislikes and made them feel comfortable during care calls and made sure they had everything they needed before they left. A person told us, “They always follow my plan that I discussed with them, like washing and dressing. When they go, they make sure I have my phone near me with my address book.” People’s wishes were respected.

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

All the care staff promoted people’s independence, safely encouraging and supporting people to achieve tasks for themselves whilst being present to step in and support where needed. Some people told us that the support provided enabled them to remain living at home. One person said, “Without them, I would have to go into a home. Their support means I can stay in my home.” One relative said, “They are vital to us, it means my loved one can stay at home with me, I can’t do the care bit, but I do everything else.” A staff member said, “We don’t just do the care, we try to encourage them to do as much as they can, it’s a delicate balance,” and “We look at care plans to make sure we know how much they can do themselves; we try to keep them motivated.”

Staff understood the importance of supporting people to maintain and improve their independence as much as possible. One staff member said, “We encourage people, always offer choice as this allows them to be involved and take control of their lives really.”

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. Despite some people telling us that staff sometimes didn’t stay for the allocated time, there were no reports of staff leaving when they were needed by people. Analysis of care visit times revealed that in nearly all cases care visits began on time.

The service demonstrated a robust ability to respond promptly and effectively to people’s immediate needs, ensuring safety, reassurance, social support and as much as possible continuity of care.

The registered manager told us that all risks were reviewed after incidents and used pro-actively to reduce further incidents. When peoples’ health deteriorated staff were pro-active in monitoring their health and ensuring all health care professionals were kept informed so care was co-ordinated.

This reflected commitment to ensuring people were not only safe but also supported emotionally through potentially distressing situations, such as deteriorating health and bereavement and in fulfilling an active social life. Protocols were in place if a person became unwell either before or during a visit, then the care staff would remain until either a relative or a medical practitioner attended. Managers would be alerted and steps taken to cover subsequent visits if a staff member was delayed. When people had appointments or social events then care visit times would be adjusted to fit around people’s schedules. Staff told us they had enough time to travel between scheduled care visits.

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

Staff well-being was important to the registered manager and wider management team. They accomplished this by providing staff to have the right training, supervision and support. They also supported staff’s family commitments where possible, and for staff to have regular time off.

Staff told us that knowing the support was there for them made a difference and they were more able to deliver care in the best way possible. Following incidents where staff may feel upset or even traumatised, there were referral schemes available to provide additional support if required. Staff were provided with their shift patterns in advance allowing time for any adjustments. A staff member told us, “Best company I have ever worked for,” and “Massively supportive, they are all lovely. They will give birthday cards and if you are unwell, they send you a text saying hope you feel well soon. They do two family days a year and you can bring your kids, and it makes it feel much more of a community.” When we asked if they felt valued by the provider, we were told, “We have weekly recognition via a Friday email. We get GEM (going the extra mile), it’s a nice gesture. Clients nominate you for the award and 4-5 are allocated a week. If you get a GEM, you get an ‘all for one card’ worth £10. When you get five GEMs you get a silver badge for your lanyard. If you get 10 you get a gold badge from the office.”