SM Voice Advocacy 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.
The person we spoke with communicated to us they liked their staff. A relative told us staff communicated well with them, keeping them up to date. Staff had a good knowledge of people’s individual preferences and preferred routines and how to support their welfare. Care and support plans detailed information around people’s family and important information related to their care. Senior staff supported new staff through mentoring and spot checks to ensure staff understood people’s needs and how they should be treated. This helped ensure staff understood what was important to people.

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 provider considered people’s individual preferences and preferred routines around care which were detailed in people’s care and support plans. Staff treated people as individuals with information in their care plans supporting them to do so. These included information about people’s history, cultural, religious and spiritual needs to make them more personal. Staff asked people what they wanted done and how. Staff were consistent and knew people and their needs well which helped support them as an individual.
Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the protected characteristics, meaning these were considered when delivering care. A staff member told us, “I follow care plans closely but also adapt my approach when needed to respect their (people’s) wishes, cultural needs, routines, and communication styles.”

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

Staff told us people were given choice and control over their care. Relatives told us staff supported people how they wished. People and relatives were involved in planning people’s care. Relatives also said the registered manager was open to feedback and making changes when needed.
Staff demonstrated an understanding of balancing people’s wishes around remaining independent with reducing risk. One staff member told us they helped, “People to build skills, so people can do more things for themselves whilst keeping safe.” This meant staff did not encroach on people’s independence or de-skill them, whilst still helping them to keep safe. Staff also supported people to attend activities such as day service, going to the pub or shopping.

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 care and support plans documented where they had specific medical conditions and how these presented in everyday life. Staff supported people when they were admitted to hospital. The registered manager told us this was to help provide reassurance and continuity for people. Staff had a good knowledge of recognising when people’s needs were changing and the appropriate action in response. A staff member told us, “For individuals who are non-verbal, I pay particular attention to cues such as body language, gestures, facial expressions, and changes in behaviour.” The registered manager was aware of the need to change call times to prioritise meeting people’s needs (such as for time specific medicines). This helped them to identify when people’s needs were changing, and their care required adjusting. The provider had out of hours support for staff to ensure people were safe.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.
Staff told us they were happy and felt well supported by the registered manager. They felt respected and fairly treated at work. One staff member said, “I feel treated respectfully in my role and supported to carry out my duties effectively.” Staff received regular supervision and attended team meetings. The registered manager told us they gave awards to staff for worker of the year, personality of the year and best dressed staff member. However, staff did say they would like clearer access to training and development which would give better support to people and make them more confident in their role. The registered manager told us they were looking at increasing further qualifications for staff.