Universal Care Agency 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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives told us staff were kind and treated them with respect. A relative said, “Staff treat [person] extremely well, very kind and caring in all the tasks that they do for them.” Another relative told us, “The carers are very kind and caring. They are very funny and have a good rapport with [person].” A person said, “The carers are very kind and caring. They are very respectful towards me and often respond with smiles and laughter.”

People and relatives confirmed privacy and dignity was respected. Comments included, “The staff cover [person] whenever they conduct any personal care tasks”, “The carers cover me when I get out of the shower” and, “They [staff] make sure I am covered during the bed bath each day.” Staff spoken with described how they ensured people’s privacy and dignity was maintained. A staff member said, when they are providing personal care to a person, they would “make sure all curtains are closed, and they are covered”.

The provider worked closely with staff and completed frequent spot checks and competency assessments in relation to staff practice. This helped to ensure people were always being supported in a way that upheld their dignity.

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.

People and relatives felt valued and listened to. Staff tailored their approach to make sure their care was person-centred and had regard to people’s cultural backgrounds and beliefs.

All people and relatives spoken with confirmed they were treated as individuals and that staff knew them well. Comments included, “The care staff know us well and certainly know [person’s] likes and dislikes”, “We do know the carers very well and they do chat quite a lot so do know what we like” and, “We have got a good rapport with the carers.”

Staff spoken with clearly knew the people they supported and were able to describe how people liked to receive care, their personal preferences and what was important to them. A staff member told us, “We [staff] know people’s preferences, if they prefer one thing over another then we will still always give them options.”

People’s individual care records contained personalised information about people including likes and dislikes, personal abilities and preferences. The provider maintained oversight of people’s care packages to ensure care was delivered in line with people’s individual needs.

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

People and relatives confirmed they were well supported by staff to maintain as much independence as is possible. Comments from people and relatives included, “Staff do encourage my wife to do things for herself that she is able to do”, “The carers do try to encourage me to do small tasks for myself and it really does depend on my moods” and, “They [staff] encourage [person] to do as much for themselves as they can do on a daily basis. They [staff] are very patient with them.”

People were supported to make choices and decisions about how their care needs were met and confirmed they were involved in decisions about their care. This included timings of care calls and the gender of staff providing personal care. All people and relatives spoken with confirmed they received personal care in line with their preferences.

Care plans contained information about people’s needs and preferences to enable staff to provide appropriate care, in line with people’s choices.

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.

Staff demonstrated they understood signs and symptoms that a person may be in pain or discomfort and supported them accordingly. Information was included in care records about any pain management. Staff used a secure app on their phones to share information with each other. The system prompted staff when there had been changes to care plans or people’s health and wellbeing to enable staff to act in the moment based on relevant and up to date information.

People told us staff listened to their needs, views and wishes. Care plans included guidance for staff on how they should respond to people if they observed any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff working with people unable to communicate their needs verbally knew they should look for physical cues, such as body language or facial expression to assess if there was an immediate need.

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

The provider supported staff in their personal and professional development. Staff received supervision to support and improve their performance and training to improve their skills and knowledge. Staff felt supported in their roles. Staff comments included, “I feel very well supported and listened to” and, “The management always listen if you have any questions or worries. They are always there to help.”