London Borough of Hillingdon

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. The last rating for this key question was 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.

Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect. People had good relationships with staff. They knew each other well. Relatives told us the staff were kind. Their comments included, “Staff always reassure us and support the family as well as [person]”, “[Staff] go above and beyond” and “All the staff are kind, and [person] enjoys [their] life here.”

We observed sensitive and respectful care. Staff treated people well and there was a relaxed, calm and happy atmosphere. People trusted staff because they listened to them and placed them at the centre of what was happening within the service.

People were given information in easy-to-understand formats and using pictures. People were asked if they preferred a specific gender of staff who supported them, and this was respected.

Staff treated people as individuals. They knew and understood people’s needs and preferences. Staff offered people personalised care and support depending on their needs, abilities and wishes. Relatives confirmed this. Their comments included, “Staff understand [person]. They know [them] really well” and “[Person] is so close to staff, who [they] have known for many years.”

People’s cultural and religious needs were planned for and met. People were supported to attend places of worship when they wanted. Staff organised celebrations for religious, cultural and special occasions. People were supported to take part in outings and holidays when they wanted this. People’s families were made to feel welcome and included.

People were able to make choices about their care and support. Staff offered choices in a way which was meaningful and clear. They respected the decisions people made. Within the service, people were able to move around unrestricted. We saw people helping themselves to food, drinks and things to do. Everyone took part in different activities of their choice. Staff supported people take part in activities within the community, including clubs and using local community facilities.

Comments from staff included, “We encourage people to go out each day, as much as we can. When [a person] first arrived, [they] did not like to go out. But we worked hard to get [them] to join in. Now [they] join group trips, and [they] are noticeably happier for it” and “All residents go out as much as possible. Sometimes they use a taxi, but we also use buses, and we go out for a walk each day. We have recently been bowling and went to the theatre.”

The provider ensured people were supported to learn new skills and develop their independence and confidence. Relatives confirmed this with comments which included, “Staff have taught [person] new skills and independence” and “Staff have supported [person] to make decisions about what [they] wear and to complete self-care tasks.” A member of staff explained, “We teach people by looking at each tiny part of a task, getting to know people’s strengths and where they need extra support.” Another staff member told us, “It is great to empower people to speak up and they can do so much more now. They go and make themselves a cup of tea, so many things like that now.”

Staff responded to people’s immediate needs. They monitored people closely and took prompt action when people became ill or when they noticed something was wrong. A relative explained staff had responded quickly when a person fell. They told us, “[Staff] were brilliant, and they gave [person] the support [they] needed.”

We saw staff were always aware of people’s feelings and needs. They reassured people and responded when people needed help or information.

The provider ensured staff were well supported. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt there was good support. Their comments included, “The company treats me well”, “I enjoy working here”, “I love it here and want to stay a long time” and “The staff team is very supportive of each other.”

Staff took part in regular individual supervision meetings and appraisals to discuss their work and any career development needs. There were also regular team meetings which staff told us they found useful and a good way to share ideas, lessons learnt and best practice.

The provider offered promotion opportunities for staff, supported external learning and qualifications and gave staff extra responsibilities within the service to increase their skills and knowledge.