Karrek Community

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 85 (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 were comfortable and relaxed with their staff teams who had a detailed understanding of people’s likes and interests. People said, “The carers are good”, “[The staff] are as good as gold and I could not wish for better” and “I don’t know where I would be without them”.

Staff ensured people’s dignity was protected, for example curtains were closed when personal care was provided. Staff spoke warmly of the people they supported and told us, “I am happy I know how to look after [Person’s name].

Professionals told us, “I have met with [Karrek staff] on several occasions at a client’s property to discuss reviews of the client’s care needs. I have found the staff to be attentive and understanding of the client’s needs.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People enjoyed spending time with their support staff who they said were funny, caring, kind and respected their individuality. People’s comments included, “I find all the staff are so kind”, “I feel staff understand me, see me as the person I am and want the best for me, I really can’t fault them” and “I appreciate that they recognise the importance to me of my friends, and show them the same regard and respect as they give me”. Relatives recognised people enjoyed and looked forward to their staff arriving. They said, “[My relative] is full of grins when the doorbell rings, [My relative] likes all the carers and benefits from their interaction, [my relative’s] even able to enjoy teasing them in his own way”.

Staff valued people’s skills, enjoyed their company and learned from the people they supported. One staff member told us, “[Person’s name] is teaching us to cook”. We observed good natured banter between staff and people they supported about competitive games they enjoyed playing together. Staff took pride is describing people’s individual skills, recent achievements and victories. People were encouraged to routinely access the community and maintain relationships that mattered to them.

Professionals praised the individualised support provided. They told us, “Their attention to detail goes without saying, and they are prepared to think outside the box, and work in a compassionate way” and “I have been working quite closely with Karrek on a particular case where they have been pivotal to keeping [the person] safely at home, supporting social work interventions, supporting [the person] with communication and in my opinion going above and beyond what is expected of them”.

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 decisions and said, “I get to choose what to do” and “I go out with them and choose where I go”. People were able to make some unwise choices and staff recognised the importance of respecting choices. Where people were known to regularly make unwise and risky choices staff were provided with clear guidance on how to ensure people’s safety while supporting their independence.

Care records showed people were able to change their minds in relation to planned events. Staff respected these decisions and worked with people to identify alternative activities to enjoy. Relatives told us, “[Person’s name] does have control. [They] get to do what [they] want” and professionals commented, “Their interactions show empathy, respect, and a commitment to promoting independence and wellbeing”.

Staff were skilled at presenting information to enable decision making and ensured people had items they needed when required. One person who had a visual impairment told us, “I feel staff understand my sight and memory issues, taking account of them in all that they do. Everything I need to hand is placed exactly where I expect to find it”.

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 and their relatives were confident staff consistently met people’s needs and responded promptly to any additional or emergency needs. People said, “Staff responded at once when I fell and knocked my head, they called on my lifeline and stayed with me while emergency attendance was arranged” and relatives told us, “They ring us about any concerns they may have, such as if [my relative] is unwell, or if [My relative] asks them to ring us”.

During our home visits, staff responded immediately to people’s needs, listened to their concerns and acted to resolve these issues with compassion where possible.

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

Managers were supportive and staff were actively encouraged to gain additional skills and access external training. Staff told us they had been supported to sign up for diploma level qualifications and directors said they were, “Looking at how we can invest to support staff”. Staff development plans were used to help staff define their individual career goals and identify how the service could support staff to realise these objectives.

Staff reward and recognition schemes had been reviewed and updated to ensure the needs of the diverse staff team were recognised and respected.