Aiding Independence

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. Relatives told us, “Staff are very, very patient and caring. Chatty with my relative. There are no problems at all” and “They are all like family. That is how I would class them. It’s a massive job they do. They do it with humour and grace”.

We observed people were relaxed in staff’s company and chatted in a relaxed way. Staff spoke with people in a respectful way and provided any information or reassurance they needed. Everyone laughed together when people gently teased staff. For example, when we asked people to give the staff a score out of 10, they considered this and everyone got a score over 10. When staff joked about the scores they had received, people laughed and gave the next staff member a higher score. Relative’s comments included, “Staff love looking after my relative. They have good chats, laughs with them all” and “Oh they are brilliant with my relative. What you see is what you get. They know them so well. They interact with them, have good banter”.

Staff described ways in which they supported people’s privacy, such as reminding people to take everything they need to the bathroom, so they did not need to leave once they have undressed.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s support met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People were supported by staff to be as involved as they wanted with our assessment. The assessment had been discussed with people before we visited and some people chose to visit the office and speak with us. Others chose not to. People who met with us were supported to chat as much as they wanted, some people were very confident and others were supported to take time to feel comfortable before they shared their views.

People and their relatives told us people got up and went to bed when they wanted. Some people choose to take part in hobbies in the evening, such as the drama club and going to nightclubs whilst others preferred to stay at home.

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

Staff described how they supported and encouraged people to do things themselves, rather than doing things for them. One staff member commented, “We have a hands off approach and help to give people confidence or adapt so they can do it themself”. This ethos underpinned all the support staff offered. A relative told us, “My loved one is becoming more independent with daily tasks”. People’s support plans provided staff with guidance about how to support people to maintain their independence, this included reminding and observing people completing tasks rather than doing tasks for them. People discussed how they could be more independent during reviews and other meetings and strategies were agreed as to how people could achieve their goals while remaining safe, such as when they answered their front door.

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.

When a person’s needs had significantly increased the registered manager had worked with health and social care professionals to support the person to remain in their own home. Their relative told us, “We all thought that they would have to move out of the house that they lived in as the service didn’t care for people living with dementia. What they did do, was train their staff in dementia so my loved one could stay there with them. They are so passionate about what they do”.

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

Staff told us they were valued by leaders and treated well. They told us their workloads were manageable, and they were not rushed. One staff member told us, “I work the hours I want. I get adequate breaks”. Staff felt listened too and described how leaders had supported them to have a good work life balance. Staff told us they felt safe when they worked alone with people and had access to support when they needed it.