Individual Homecare Services

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 were very complimentary about the care staff. They told us staff were compassionate, kind and treated them with dignity and respect. For example, one person told us, “The carers that come are really lovely, more like a family member, but know when not to overstep their mark.” And another shared, “They take their time, no one rushes me. I have no complaints or concerns about my care.”

Staff spoke of each other with kindness and respect. People told us they valued the company of their care staff and they liked the fact they had regular staff who knew how they liked to be supported.
 

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 understood and detailed in their support plans. Plans included information about relevant life history and what mattered to them, such as any hobbies or interests.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of the importance of treating people as individuals. Support plans included any relevant social or religious needs, which might be important for care staff to understand when providing care and support. Support plans were available digitally to staff to refer to for guidance on how to support individuals and update their notes. Hard copies of the plans were available in people’s own homes.
 

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

People were supported to maintain as much independence, choice and control over their lives as possible. People and relatives told us they and their family members were asked for consent by staff before delivering any care and support. One person shared that their reason and decision to use this company was because they listened to and met their expectations, “I have had several care companies [previously] which have not met my care needs, such having men for [providing] personal hygiene.”

Support plans included information about how people preferred their care to be met. There was equipment where needed, to support and maximise people’s independence – such as tailored support with communication needs.
 

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 an understanding of who to contact when people needed urgent help or support, discomfort, concern or distress. Emergency contacts were included in people’s support plans with additional details captured. For example, whether staff were instructed to speak with the GP on their behalf about any health or wellbeing concerns.

Professionals we spoke with told us the provider liaised with them and made changes to people’s care and support to ensure their current needs were met. One shared their confidence in provided care stating, “Care staff took a patient and sensitive approach to building rapport. They ensured [a level of] trust was established before encouraging engagement with potential overwhelming tasks, such as personal care.”
 

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

We obtained feedback from staff about their experience of working for the provider. Feedback was quite positive about the support they received. Comments included, “We are a small care team and I believe that we run very well, we work together as a team,” and “Staff do their best and work as a team to keep people happy and we understand the client is our main priority.”

We saw evidence of supervision discussions and group meetings which addressed feedback and engagement. Staff also had access to a staff handbook which contained information about expectations from the provider, policies and procedures. The provider also provided access to an employer-funded occupational health and wellbeing scheme after their successful completion of probation.