Proxy Care Personnel

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.

Staff were aware that dignity was key to providing good care. One person told us how they had been embarrassed to receive personal care, but staff had made them feel less self-conscious. They told us, “It got to a stage where [staff member] was coming in and she said ‘No, no this is my job’. I don’t usually like [receiving personal care] but she was very professional and got the job done so quickly and efficiently. They are all very good.” A relative added, “They never make her feel embarrassed and treat her with great dignity. She has said to them ‘you have seen me at my worst’ and they always make her feel good about herself.”

People and their relatives were also grateful to the staff for showing compassion. A relative told us, “It’s a difficult journey and they have certainly made it easier on all of us. It’s a pleasure to see them.” The registered manager told us, “We do pay a lot of attention to this. We always talk about engaging and actively listening to people. We ask them about their family, their life. From this you can build a bond with that person. We tell staff to think that this is how they want their mum or dad to be treated. Sometimes it’s just the power of just holding a person’s hand or giving them a hug and tell them everything is going to be ok if they are having a bad day.”

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 plans included daily preferences which were important to that person. For example, 1 person carried out morning prayers each day as part of their religious practice. Their care plan detailed this, and that staff should be aware the person may be praying during the care call and would need to be given time to do this.

On the whole, people and their relatives told us staff had time to spend improving people’s days depending on their individual likes in addition to the basic care delivery. One relative told us, “They have built a bond with mum so they know how to treat her depending on her moods.” Another relative confirmed, “The staff make her feel like she is in her 20's. They put make-up on her and braid her hair so nicely. They are a breath of fresh air. They make her feel like she is herself.” Staff confirmed the importance of spending time to make people feel important and listened to. One staff member told us, “I have time with the clients. I attend to some clients multiple times in a week so I take the time to build relationships and talk to 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 were encouraged and supported to take positive risks. The registered manager told us, “We do train staff through induction and supervision meetings that the people we support are not children. Even if they are fragile and not fully mobile, they may be able to make a cup of tea with you. Don’t take that away from them where possible. Sometimes all they need from you is supervision and soft encouragement from them.” Staff confirmed this ethos, with one saying, “We have enough time to empower clients to be as independent as possible.”

People and their relatives also confirmed staff promoted independence and control. One person said, “I write a list and print them out of the tasks I want doing.” A relative told us, “Staff do what she allows them to do as she is very independent and reluctant to allow care. Most of the carers understand that and are there to help if needed.”

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.

Systems were in place to ensure people had support from staff to respond to immediate and emergency needs whilst ensuring this did not impact on care delivery elsewhere. The registered manager explained to us that if a carer arrived to find a person in need of medical assistance, they would inform the office and stay with the person until paramedics arrived. The staff member’s later calls would be covered by the management team to ensure that people still continued to receive the care they needed. The registered manager told us that sometimes people were often anxious at the thought of attending AE. They told us they listened to the person’s concerns but would reassure them by saying, “We are not doctors and cannot see what’s going on inside. They then have the clarity of the situation and that they should attend hospital if that is what is suggested.”

People and relatives confirmed staff took action to meet people’s immediate needs. One person told us, “I fell over a few days ago and [staff] called the paramedics. I feel safe with her.” A relative added, “Once last summer they saved [my family member’s] life. She was unwell, not eating or drinking. The GP recommended that she goes to hospital and she refused. When the carer came in [family member] was not making sense, so the carer called the ambulance. If she did not call them, she would not be here today.”

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

The registered manager was determined to promote the wellbeing of their staff. They told us, “We always provide a lot of positive feedback as their jobs are tough. When they come into the office we get up and greet them rather than sitting at our desks and staring at our computer. We ask them during supervisions how they are in general, at home, with their children etc. If they share they are struggling, then we encourage them to talk to one of us. We try and work around staff’s childcare commitments where possible. We support staff to seek medical support where needed through their GP. We help them as much as they will allow us to.” There were also incentives such as ‘carer of the month’ in place to celebrate staff who had gone the extra mile in their work.

Staff felt supported and that their wellbeing mattered. One staff member told us. “If I have any personal or medical issues I talk to the management and they always support me.” Another staff member said, “For myself I can say that I am glad that I am working at Proxy. They show me that I am valued. They make me feel I am one of those people who is doing well.”