Victoria Home Care Solutions

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

The registered manager and staff spoke with great empathy and genuine care when speaking about people they cared for. They gave numerous examples that demonstrated they went the extra mile when supporting people including when assisting with personal issues outside of people’s assessed care and needs. They recognised that people could feel isolated and the impact their engagement with people had. The people we spoke with also commented on how their positive engagement lifted their spirits. People told us staff noticed when they weren’t presenting in their usual way. One person said, “One of the carers said I am glad you’re up today; you looked really tired yesterday – they noticed the difference in me and cared for me with the right approach.” We spoke with another person and their relative, who both said about the impact staff had on them. The person receiving care said, “I’m extremely happy with them (staff), cheerful, arrive on time and make me feel good. They (staff) are quite happy to make [relative] a cup of tea as well and involve them.” The relative they lived with also commented, ““They cheer me up as well”.

We saw feedback from relatives sent directly to the registered manager including an email from a relative of a person supported at the end of their life who said, “The time you had with [relative] was quite short but the impact on them was exceptional as we tried to navigate what life was throwing at us.”

Staff treated each other and external colleagues, including the inspection team, with kindness and respect. One staff member said, “We all have a really good relationship, we are all very open and honest with each other.”

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.

We spoke with the registered manager and staff about people’s care needs and preferences, and they demonstrated a deep understanding of people’s needs, preferences and individual life history. We noted care plans did not contain the same level of detail to reflect this, which the registered manager acknowledged, and advised us she would be updating this information.

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

People told us staff respected their wishes and choices and positively impacted on their wellbeing. Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s independence and choice and how communication could impact this. One staff member said, “I would ask them the question, give them plenty of time to think about it, if there was any extra info they wanted, I would look into it for them.” The registered manager and team, where appropriate, advocated for people including people living with dementia who may not always be able to voice their opinion. The registered manager spoke with us about an example of meal choices for a person, and having open and honest discussions with family around how best to support the person with making their own decisions and choices around meals.

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 told us staff supported them to access medical support when they were unwell or needed to attend an appointment, and that staff would attend with them if they wished them to. Staff were clear about actions they would take

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 felt supported by the registered manager as well as colleagues in the team. They gave examples of how the registered manager offered flexibility to support staff home/work life balance, was supportive of people’s health and wellbeing needs as well as making adjustments to their work pattern for attending appointments. One staff member told us about moving from their previous job to work for Victoria Home Care Solutions, “[Registered manager] really cares and it made me change my mind (about changing jobs), things are run better than at the previous job I had.”