Abney & Baker (Bath) Ltd

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 treated people with kindness, empathy, compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s individual needs and preferences, and this was reflected in the way they delivered care. People were offered choices and supported in a way that upheld their dignity. One person we spoke to said “[relative] is happy” and “I think they treat her well”.

Relatives spoke positively about the respectful and compassionate approach of staff, noting that their loved ones were treated with kindness and sensitivity.

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.

Care records included details about how to support each person, along with their individual likes and preferences. We saw details about people’s life history. Staff we spoke with had a strong understanding of people’s individual preferences. People told us how they were treated as individuals. Comments included “They call me by my name, they stay and don’t just get on with jobs, they chat too”.

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

Care records were detailed with what people could achieve independently and which areas they required more support with. This meant people were empowered to do the things that they could do with the reassurance of support being available when needed.

Staff were able to describe how they supported people to be independent. A person explained to us how they were supported with their medicine. They told us “I’m supported by staff to be as independent as possible with my medicines”.

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.

We saw records that evidenced a person telephoned the office and requested a change in the timing of an upcoming visit to enable them to participate in a different activity. The provider altered care visits in order to facilitate this change.

People did tell us that their visits were sometimes late. The registered manager acknowledged that the majority of concerns are usually regarding late visits. The registered manager told us that changes would be made to how visits were organised and in what order so that overdue visits could be reduced.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported them to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they received the support they needed to do their job well.

Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and open to feedback, and they were comfortable in sharing concerns and ideas with them. Staff said they were confident the registered manager would take appropriate action on any issues raised.

People and relatives positive feedback was shared with staff. For example, we saw thank you cards addressed to the provider and to named staff.

Staff told us there was flexibility around their shifts and the manager supported them with reasonable adjustments.

Staff spoke to us positively about the support they receive from the managers and informed us of the opportunities to progress within the company. Records demonstrated progression was a topic of conversation in staff supervision.