Cera - Wiltshire

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.

Ten out of eleven people told us the care was good and they liked they regular carers.

Comments included “The carers are careful with the way they treat me” “If I need anything I can just let them know” and “We have things in common. They are kind and know exactly how to assist me”.

All the people we spoke to, told us staff protected they privacy and dignity. This meant staff were working in line with national best practice standards.

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 contained details of how to support people and their likes and preferences. We saw details about people’s life history, which staff we spoke to were aware of. Staff told us about people’s individual preferences, giving choice and how they supported people in their preferred way. We spoke to an on-call carer who told us when providing emergency care, they get sent all details about a person before they enter their home.

Feedback from people was mostly positive. Comments from people included: “Carers talk to me, we have things in common” and “My regular carers know my likes and dislikes and I love that they know things about my life about my life”. When we asked people what the impact of this was, one person said “It makes me feel good, I’m not just a visit in the day for someone” and “For me, it signifies that while people are here to do a job, it makes me at ease and allows me to be seen as a person”.

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 contained details of what support people required from staff and what they could do independently. Daily notes showed staff were offering prompts and positive encouragement for tasks they knew people could achieve. People confirmed this, comments included “carers will let me try to do things for myself and they will help me if I ask them to”. People told us the impact of this was empowering and it “motivates me to still try and do things for myself, which I feel is important”. Leaders told us that the provider values are to empower people to be as independent as possible.

Staff told us they supported people to be as independent as they could by asking what they wanted to achieve on the day. This included ways they supported a person to take their medicines and how people had control over their personal care support.

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.

On the day of the inspection,weobserveda member of the management teamrespondtoacall fromstaff raising concerns aboutthe welfare andchange in needof a person recentlydischarged from hospital. The individual had reduced mobility and did not have the necessary equipment to support their care safely. The deputy managerimmediatelyprovided guidance to staff on how to manage the situation safely whileadditionalsupport was arranged.Managers wereobservedpromptly contacting the community occupational therapy team to escalate concernsregardingthechange inmobility. Thisdemonstratedstaff acted quickly and appropriately to protect people from harm and ensuredpeople’simmediate needs were met.

People told us staff knew them well and that care was delivered to meet their needs.

Comments included “They know about me, my likes and dislikes”, “They are in charge of getting my meals for me, but I choose what I want to eat and when” and “Staff in the office that do the scheduling make sure I get what I want”.

However during the inspection we saw care plans did not always contain up to date

information. This meant staff were at risk of not knowing people’s immediate needs. Some staff were unsure of people’s capacity, and care records showed gaps in the recording of people’s capacity. People told us they felt “newer staff do not always take the initiative when they come for my care visit”. We spoke to the provider who assured us they would review all care plans as part of their improvement plan.

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

Managers described several systems in place to support staff wellbeing This included the ability to consider reasonable adjustments to working patterns where needed.

Staff told us the service had undergone significant changes over the past 6 to 8 months, including shifts in the management structure. Staff described a marked improvement in staff wellbeing since the new registered manager and deputy manager had been appointed. Staff reported the leadership team provided stable and supportive oversight, strengthened communication, and offered clearer, more consistent guidance. Managers highlighted that staff were actively encouraged to develop their skills and progress through the provider’s training programme.

Staff told us the registered manager was open, and they were able to share any concerns they had. Staff said they were confident the registered manager would act on any issues and were invited to meetings to share concerns and best practices. This meant staff were able to celebrate success together which added to a consistent and positive team working approach.

The provider had regular “carer of the month” awards which recognised when staff had gone above and beyond their roles. Managers organised monthly quizzes with prizes for staff. Staff told us “It’s a small gesture to show they appreciate us”. This demonstrated that workforce wellbeing and enablement were promoted effectively, helping staff feel supported, valued and equipped to deliver high quality care.