KMX Nursing Agency

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 their family members liked the care staff and appeared relaxed and pleased to be in their company. Comments included, “The carers are very good. [Person] likes them and is happy to go out with them, because of (various health conditions) [person] has multiple needs. We can only judge from [person’s] behaviour they are happy.” A professional told us, “Overall, my experience with KMX Nursing Agency personnel has been positive, marked by collaborative and respectful communication and safe, dignified care for the client.” Staff told us of practical ways they respected people’s dignity, this included closing doors and curtains before supporting with personal care and not sharing confidential information about people.

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 were given opportunities to fully express their individuality. A person had a unique and distinctive way they liked to present themselves, staff sought guidance for how this could be done to safely to protect them from potential discrimination when they went out. People’s spiritual and cultural needs were documented and staff respected their beliefs, for example, they offered meals which remained in line with their religious values. The management team made efforts to appropriately match people with staff based on personality traits. A professional commented, “KMX managers always assess compatibility, the managers match and allocated support workers with bubbly personality to my client who is a very chatty and active person.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Where possible people were supported to remain as independent as they could be, where this was not physically achievable staff ensured people had choices to enable control over their lives. Staff gave examples of how they promoted people’s autonomy. A staff member said, “I support a client who is physically able to take a shower but needs supervision for safety reasons. Instead of doing everything for them, I guide them step by step ensuring the bathroom is safe, the water temperature is appropriate, and they have everything they need within reach. I remain nearby in case they need help, but I encourage them to wash themselves as much as they can on their own. Over time, they have become more confident and require less prompting, which is a positive outcome for both their physical and emotional wellbeing.” Support plans captured what people could do and how staff could support them whilst safely maintaining a level of independence. People spent their time as they wanted, staff helped them attend places of choice including work, college or to social events, this facilitated people to achieve their goals and aspirations.

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’s support plans and PBS plans contained information to enable staff to respond quickly to changes in needs or anticipate what support they may need. Staff reported changes quickly which enabled the management team to address individual challenges as they arose including escalation to relevant professionals. A professional commented on this and said, “KMX staff will record incidents and contact their manager or the professional on duty to share relevant information verbally. KMX managers or the professional on duty will feedback any relevant information about my client’s treatment in a timely manner. My client’s health checks are up to date and I have no received concerns.”

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 we happy working for the service and felt their wellbeing was valued. A staff member told us, “The service checks in regularly and shows appreciation through thank you messages and also started giving employee of the month rewards and recognition. I feel respected and supported. When I needed a change in shifts due to personal reasons, it was accommodated.” The management team gave examples where they have declined care packages in response to concerns about how staff may be at potential risk due to environmental safety concerns. Compliments about staff were shared with them, a staff member proudly showed us a compliment they had received from a relative.