Barleycombe

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.

Staff demonstrated professionalism and understanding, showing kindness and compassion in their interactions. One person told us, “I really like it here, I have key workers, and we can choose what we want to do.” A relative told us, “The staff bring [person] to visit me every week and it's a friendly relationship. [Person] is always comfortable with the staff.”

Staff explained how they respected privacy and choices. One said, “I give people the time and space they need, ensuring dignity by closing doors during personal care and knocking before entering bedrooms. Choices are offered throughout the day.” Another added, “I actively listen and take time to talk to people. I respect their choices and treat them with patience and kindness, maintaining privacy during care and offering choices in activities, clothing, meals, and routines.”

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.

Staff explored different ways to support people in pursuing their interests, overcoming fears, and stepping out of their comfort zones through positive risk-taking. This included collaborative work with health professionals, relatives, and external groups to celebrate each person’s strengths, abilities, and aspirations. The registered manager documented ‘Celebrating Success’ stories to highlight positive outcomes for individuals using the service.

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

People were supported to make choices about how they spent their time and had opportunities to pursue different leisure activities. People went swimming, to the cinema, shopping, cafes, disco afternoons, holidays and attending day clubs. A member of staff told us, “One person we support wanted to get a bus by themselves to day service, we helped them plan their journey and ensured they were safe for the first few journeys, making sure they knew where to get off and how much to pay. After doing this a few times the person could do this independently.”

Support plans included information about people’s preferred routines and how they liked to spend their time. One person’s support plan recorded, “I ask staff to take me where I want to go.”

We received mixed feedback related to people accessing the community. One relative was concerned their family member was not going out enough, however, others were positive about people’s access to the community. Comments included, “I think its excellent. They take [person] out to cafes and swimming” and “Staff do try to promote [persons] independence as best they can. [Person] chooses their own food. They are fussy with their food, and the staff let them choose and support them in the kitchen. [Person] goes to the farm twice a week, horse riding and shopping so they are always busy.”

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.

People’s relatives praised staff for the care and support they provided and told us it gave them peace of mind knowing staff were so vigilant in their duties. Comments included, “Staff are well trained and understand [persons] condition, they keep me informed” and “[Person] tells me when they have been to the doctors and if they were ill, they would ring me. All the staff I have met understand [persons] needs and the manager respects my input.”

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

The provider offered a range of benefits, including access to an Employee Assistance Programme and a confidential whistle-blowing helpline. Most staff told us they felt supported by the senior leadership team, saying, “I personally was supported to complete my Level 2 in adult care and am now completing my Lead adult care, Level 3” and “The registered manager makes us all aware of things to celebrate and also things that need improvement. Everyone has a chance to shine and training and information is available. They are also a very kind person who is always happy and listens to staff.”

Some staff felt there was room for improvement in communication around wellbeing support, with one commenting, “I think there is some wellbeing support for staff. They say there is an open-door policy. There is sometimes but not always.” This suggests that while support is available, clearer and more consistent communication could further enhance staff confidence in these initiatives.

The registered manager responded to this feedback proactively and planned to organise further listening sessions with staff to better understand their experiences and identify ways to strengthen wellbeing support and communication.

The registered manager told us, “To strengthen teamwork I provide mentoring and coaching to staff who may need some additional support, encourage peer learning, and ensure everyone understands their individual roles and responsibilities within the team. When issues arise, I address them promptly through discussion, mediation or additional training, ensuring the team remains focused and united in achieving positive outcomes for the people we support.”