Your Life (Stratford-upon-Avon)

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.

People felt comfortable with the staff supporting them and described them as kind and thoughtful. One person told us they looked forward to the staff arriving and explained, “The staff are great, you couldn’t fault them. They really look after you. They will do anything you ask of them and I am very impressed." Another person described the staff as “Very good” and went on to say, “You can see they care when they come and check on you." A third person commented on the positivity of staff and said, “They are always cheerful and greet you with a smile."

Staff understood their role in promoting people’s emotional and mental wellbeing by being considerate of their privacy, promoting their dignity and always treating them with respect. Staff told us they enjoyed working with people and spoke about them in a kind and considerate way. One staff member told us, “It is about being approachable, kind, patient, showing them kindness and being respectful around them." Another staff member explained, “They see us every day. We build a relationship with them and they trust us."

Managers monitored staff practice to ensure they treated people with kindness, dignity and compassion.

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 told us staff took time to understand them and took an interest in their backgrounds and previous experiences. One person told us, “They are always chatting and talking about this and that."

Care plans contained information about people’s backgrounds, histories, important connections, hobbies and interests. Staff used this information to develop positive relationships and have meaningful conversations with people about things that interested them. This ensured people felt valued and respected. One staff member told us, “They are individual people, everyone comes with their own history, their interests and dreams. It is all about individuality and diversity.” Another staff member explained, “I feel as if I do know them (people) as individuals. It is important to know their likes and dislikes and get to know what people’s hobbies are because they are all so individual. I know when I go in what we are going to chat about."

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

People told us staff promoted their independence and choice but were available to provide support when they needed it. One person told us, “They deliver what they are there for with understanding and kindness and they do encourage you."

Staff understood their role was to give people choice and control so they could maintain independence in their own home. One staff member told us, “We are hoping they can stay as independent as long as possible so they can live a fulfilled life and do it with dignity. We want them to live the same sort of life as other people and not let their care issues stop them from doing that." Another staff member said, “It is about making them feel relaxed and comfortable but allowing them to do things they can do themselves because at the end of the day, it is independent living."

Support plans clearly described what aspects of their care people could do for themselves, where they needed supervision or prompting and when staff needed to provide support. Prompts and supervision during personal care maximised people’s independence and safety.

There was an active and diverse social event programme within the location where people received their care. People were encouraged to engage with the programme which included coffee afternoons, chair exercises, art club, sing a long club and film nights.

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 had access to alarms they could activate in an emergency outside their scheduled call times. If activated, people told us staff were very quick to respond. One person who had fallen told us, “[Name of staff member] was here within a couple of minutes and then she sat with me for an hour until the ambulance came." Another person told us, “I wear this alarm; I have had 2 falls, and both times staff were with me in minutes."

The provider’s care performance manager had identified support plans required more information to ensure staff had sufficient insight to respond to people’s emotional needs in a person-centred way. They told us this would be addressed through care plan reviews.

Staff engaged people in conversations during scheduled care calls to understand their immediate needs.

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

Staff felt supported by the provider and the management team. They told us the registered manager was approachable and considerate of their wellbeing. One staff member told us, “[Registered manager] is very approachable, very thorough and very caring."

The provider had systems and processes to support staff wellbeing. This included an employee assistance programme, a wellbeing app and access to mental health first aiders who could offer support to any staff who were experiencing poor mental health. Staff were paid for any training or meetings attended outside their planned shifts.