Athlone Care

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 80 (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 and their relatives were positive about the staff who supported them and the office staff they spoke with. People felt there were treated with care and dignity by staff. Comments included, “They are positively interested in caring for my relative”, “They are very friendly, there’s no issues at all, [my relative] has a laugh and a joke with them, they tend to keep the same regular staff as well”, and, “From what I see and from what I hear, there’s some genuine care, it’s not to just go in and out, they converse with [my relative] and I feel I can engage with them and the staff reviewing [my relatives] needs are good too.”

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 some information about people and how they wanted to be supported. For example, about people’s family connections. Feedback from people about how staff treated them was positive. People and their relatives told us staff spent time speaking to them and did not rush off when tasks were completed. One person told us, “They know me by now, they’re good, I have a little chat with them.”

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

Staff understood the importance of supporting people to do things for themselves. One staff told us, “I try to promote them to do things independently. I ask what people want to wear. They make a decision.” People reflected this when asked if they were respected and treated like an individual as part of the providers survey.

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 were well supported by care staff who were compassionate and responded to any concerns they might have. Comments included, “The empathy each carer shows me is incredible”, and, “Nothing is too much trouble for [carer] and [their] rapport with [my relative] is amazing.”

Staff were also flexible to meet people’s needs when these changed, where this was possible. One relative told us, “The office team are always very helpful and responsive with all my requests for additional tasks or visits.”

The provider demonstrated an exceptional and deeply embedded commitment to staff wellbeing and enablement. Leaders consistently went above and beyond to ensure staff felt valued, supported and equipped to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. This commitment was evident in both the practical help provided to staff and the sustained investment in their personal and professional development.

The provider offered exceptional, individualised support to staff recruited from overseas through sponsorship, helping them settle successfully into both the UK and their new roles. This support extended well beyond routine employment arrangements: the provider met staff at the airport, helped them obtain groceries and essential items, and assisted with accommodation where needed. One staff member told us, “Athlone Care is an organisation which values its employees. My experience when I arrived in the UK as a new Care worker, we were given £100 bonus to help us get some shopping and we were given accommodation which helped us not to stress. I'm personally grateful, they even helped me progress with my career, right now I'm doing my level 5 in health and social care.” This practical and compassionate approach reduced avoidable stress for new staff and enabled them to focus on settling, developing and providing high-quality care.

The provider took proactive steps to protect and empower its workforce. Staff received modern slavery training so they could recognise risks and safeguard themselves, their friends and family, and the people they supported. The provider also organised social events that brought staff together, strengthened relationships and helped create an inclusive and connected workforce.

Staff were unequivocally valued, and the provider translated this commitment into meaningful opportunities and highly responsive support. Staff were encouraged to build progressive careers in care and undertake a ‘Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care’, with a number taking up this opportunity. Support also reflected staff members’ individual circumstances, including flexibility with rotas when personal needs arose. One staff member told us, “When I needed personal support, they valued this and helped with the rota, this was important and meant a lot to me, that they valued my personal life.” Another said, “I have been supported in all ways imaginable to give the best care to our clients.” The consistency between the provider’s practical actions and staff feedback demonstrated an outstanding culture in which workforce wellbeing, development and enablement were integral to the delivery of person-centred care.