Kemfa Services Limited

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• 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. This key question 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 and compassion, respecting their privacy and dignity. People and relatives were complimentary about the staff who cared for them. A person told us, “I have no qualms about the staff. All very friendly and do what I ask them to do.” Another person said, “The staff are lovely, polite, kind and efficient.” Family members comments included, “[Staff members name] is a real diamond. Gets on well with [relative] and goes over and beyond. They are very proactive and brilliant,” and “Can’t fault the staff, they are like family, they are so kind and gentle,” and “Staff are very respectful and mindful of [relative’s] safety.”

Staff were positive about the support, respect and caring shown by the registered manager and their colleagues. A staff member told us, “I meet with my manager and if I have any issues they come up with ways they can help and be involved. They offer solutions.” Another staff member said, “I feel respected by both colleagues and managers.”We observed staff members speaking with people on the phone in a respectful and patient way asking if they were feeling okay, if they were happy with their care and the staff who attended their care calls.

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’s individual needs were assessed, and the information used to shape their own personalised care plan. People’s care plans reflected their identity and individuality and were respectful of their lifestyle, personal, cultural, social and religious needs, ensuring they were understood and met. A family member said, “The staff absolutely treat [relative] with respect and care for the person they are.”

Staff told us how they respected people’s individuality, wishes and preferences. Staff considered people’s strengths, abilities, and aspirations. A staff member told us, “We have a person whose first language is not English, and we use a translator to communicate with them which is working well.” Another staff member said, “I can really get to know the people I support and what they like and dislike.” A third told us, “We make sure when we are providing personal care, we close the door and the curtains, so people have privacy, we also cover the person to ensure their comfort.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own support and wellbeing. People told us they were supported to have choice and control over their own care arrangements as much as possible. For example, people’s preference for the gender of staff member to provide their care was respected. A family member told us, “My [relative] asked for female staff and she has got them. They are nice.” Another family member said, “The staff are cheerful and don’t mind what they do. They are an absolute joy to have around, and [relative] looks forward to seeing them. They help her mentally as well as physically.” A third family member said, “My [relative] really gets on with the staff and feels comfortable with them. They are mindful of what [relative] can and cannot do and they are encouraging of [relative] doing things for themselves.”

Staff spoke positively about their roles and how they promoted people’s independence and choices when providing care and support to people. A member of staff told us, “One example that stands out to me is supporting a person to regain independence after a hospital stay. Over time, with encouragement and consistent care, they became more confident in managing daily tasks. It was rewarding to see the positive impact on their wellbeing and to know I had contributed to their progress.” Another member of staff said, “We do have people who cannot speak English, I use signs to communicate with them or ask the family to support me.”

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 told us they knew how to raise a concern or complaint. They felt confident they could call the office if they had anything to raise. A family member said, “There was a staff member who my [relative] did have a problem with. We raised it with the office and despite this they did call again and resolved it with [relative]. They now get on like a house on fire.”

The registered manager had made improvements to responding to people’s immediate needs and concerns. They told us all feedback was recorded and acted on and we saw evidence of a complaints log, investigations undertaken, feedback given, actions taken and an apology, either in writing or visiting the person to feedback directly. A family member told us, “I raised a concern with Kemfa. A full investigation was carried out and a report submitted to the family. Additional training was given to the staff member. I was thoroughly satisfied with the way this was handled. The communication and management at Kemfa is much improved.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The culture of the service promoted positive well-being through supporting and encouraging staff to work to their best abilities, providing flexible working arrangements and working locally to reduce travel and increase work life balance. Recruitment, disciplinary and capability processes were fair and helped to ensure there was no disadvantage based on staff’s protected equality characteristics.

Feedback from staff was positive regarding the support they received from the management team and their colleagues. Staff received regular supervision and knew who to contact should they need to. A staff member told us, “Teamwork is okay yes and we try to work together. It is a nice place to work.” Another staff member said, “I have regular supervisions and spot checks, which I find helpful for reflecting on my practice. Feedback is constructive, and I feel supported to improve where needed.” A third told us, “We do have supervision, and competency checks where we highlight areas to improve on, challenges we face while discharging our duty of care, and also areas we feel we need training.”

The frequency of staff meetings albeit on video calls had increased so that all staff had the opportunity to attend. The registered manager told us, “It is difficult getting everyone into the office because of their care calls, but having regular Teams calls, everyone gets to see each other and the opportunity to see themselves as part of a team.” Discussions were recorded and cascaded to staff to keep them up to date of actions and developments to the service.