Highgate Home Care Also known as Willerby Office

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 always respected people’s privacy and dignity. People and relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the care and described staff as kind, respectful and caring. Comments included, “Care is excellent. The [staff] that come around are fabulous. Nothing is too much trouble.” Staff spoke about the emotional side of the work, describing themselves as “second family” and giving “extra little touches” that made a difference to people’s days. One staff member said helping people and “putting a smile on their faces” was the “best thing” about the job.

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.

The provider always supported people as individuals and staff knew people very well. Care records included rich personal histories, hobbies and preferences, and staff described tailoring conversation topics, routines and support to match each person’s personality. Staff adjusted their approach to how people liked to be spoken with, the “banter” they enjoyed and the topics they found meaningful. Staff were confident to raise concerns when they felt support could be improved. One staff member told us, “You need to be able to fit into the person you’re supporting, make them happy. Different things make people happy, what they like to talk about.”

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

The provider always promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to make choices. Staff described supporting people to regain their skills and independence, adjusting calls and equipment, and encouraging people to do as much as they could for themselves. One staff member told us, “Keeping [people] independent is our job.” People and relatives could access information and rotas which helped support choice and control.

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.

The provider always responded to people’s immediate needs and staff and managers were described as responsive and reliable. People told us staff arrived and stayed for the time they should and checked whether anything else was needed before leaving. One person told us, “[Staff are] always on time, stay for the time they should. Always ask if there is anything else they can do.” Staff described staying beyond scheduled visit times and prioritising safety when they were running late. Staff gave examples of escalating concerns about people’s mobility, home environment, pain or mood. Managers or on‑call stepped in during crises, including arranging equipment, adjusting visit lengths and covering calls when staff faced emergencies.

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

The provider always supported staff wellbeing at a local level and created a positive team culture. However, the staff we spoke with all told us they felt less valued by senior leaders. Staff described managers as supportive, approachable and responsive, describing flexible working, help with complex packages, and practical support such as shared pool cars and welfare checks after incidents. One staff member said their managers, “are like my second family, they always help” when describing how leaders responded in difficult situations and recognised their efforts. Managers adjusted return‑to‑work plans for staff with health or family needs.