Civicare East Ltd Also known as Abacus Care (Essex) Limited

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 people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

All the people and relatives we spoke with told us their dignity was respected, and staff were kind and caring. Comments included, “They (care staff) are always asking me if I am happy, and if I need anything else,” “They are courteous and pleasant, when we go shopping, they carry everything, it is a very pleasant feeling. It is very good care.” Staff knew people well and were positive about respecting people’s dignity and privacy. A staff member told us, “When I am assisting a person, I make sure I close the curtains, cover them with a blanket and talk to them to make them feel relaxed and at ease.”

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 and relatives told us staff respected them/their loves ones and were attentive to their individual needs. Comments included, “They (care staff) make me feel I am doing more and more myself; they (care staff) make me feel better,” and “Without them, I would not be able to go out. They (care staff) regularly take me to visit a place which is special to me. It is rough terrain, but they push me safely in my wheelchair.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People and relatives, we spoke with told us they were supported to have choice and control over their own care and were encouraged to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing as much as possible. All the people spoken with told us staff supported them to maintain their independence. A relative told us, “They (care staff) are very gentle, they encourage [person’s] independence but also check whether they are managing to walk ok. They (care staff) come back early from their walk if [person] is having difficulty.”

Staff understood the importance of promoting and encouraging people to remain as independent as possible. A member of staff told us, “We do not rush people, we make sure they have everything they need to hand. If a person’s needs change; for example, they may need a different piece of equipment, we will source this to encourage and enable people to keep their independence longer.”

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

The service had not received any complaints in the last 12 months. The registered manager told us, “If we receive any concerns or complaints we take them seriously. We have policies and procedures in place and would follow processes as per our policy. We then identify any need for further training, share information with staff, update our newsletter identifying the outcome.”

Staff and people using the service had access to an emergency on call service manned by senior staff, who were trained and competent, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On call staff had the support of the management team at all times and had access to all staff and people’s records including medication records should there be a need to review, update or share with other healthcare professionals out of hours in the event of an emergency.

Staff spoke confidently and positively and told us how they would support a person should they wish to raise a concern or complaint. A member of staff told us, “I would ask them if they would like me to tell the manager, if they were in danger I would tell them I must talk to the manager.”

All the people we spoke with without exception told us they knew the registered manager and senior management team. They all felt the service was professionally managed and communication was good. They all had positive impressions of the service to share. Comments included, “It is a perfect service, I have no complaints”, “I have no complaints, they are patient focused, open and up front. They are flexible and respond quickly to [persons] needs.” And “It is an excellent service, they (staff) do a very good job, I am very impressed.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

People received safe, effective and person-centred care as the provider recognised and met the wellbeing needs of staff. These included the necessary resource and facilities for safe working, such as regular breaks and the opportunity for staff to come and rest and relax in the office’s inclusion room. This was a small room adjacent to the office where staff could help themselves to a cup of tea or coffee and sit down to calming music played in the background with sensory lamps and diffusers to aid staff wellbeing.

We observed throughout the day of our assessment visit staff attending 1 of the well-being clinics, to have a tea, coffee or just a chat for work and personal support. The registered manager told us of reasonable adjustments made to a member of staff’s working hours to support with their work/homelife balance.

The office area had a basket of toiletry items such as shower and bath wash and body creams. The registered manager told us, “Staff bring in unwanted gift items that they do not use and by doing so all staff are able to benefit from this. When staff visit the office they can take an item away, it helps everyone especially just before pay day when money might be a bit tight.”

The learning and development manager had completed a counselling qualification to enable them to support staff’s well-being at the service. The provider held 4 staff groups and clinics each month, including a ‘Diabetic Club’, Meno ‘pause for thought’ clinic, support groups with varying themes such as ‘Heart Health’ on Valentines Day and ‘New Beginnings’ at Easter and advice clinics where staff had the opportunity to discuss any work or personal related matters. These were held at various locations to promote staff health and wellbeing such as, the park, dog walks, coffee shops, restaurants and libraries. The service was in the process of organising a church walking group to bring staff together, to increasing their health, well-being and team building.

Staff spoke extremely positively about the support they received from the registered manager and management team. Comments included, “I am very supported by managers, even outside of work they have supported me. They often give us treats, cream tea boxes, easter eggs. Recently 3 of us turned 60 and the registered manager took us for a meal” and “They really care this agency; you can call them anytime; nothing seems too much trouble. They are professional.”