Angel Care North Ltd

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 service involved people andtreated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At the last inspection we rated this key question outstanding. At this inspection the rating has remained outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service. 

This service scored 95 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff were exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. People consistently described staff as caring, friendly, helpful and trustworthy. The inspection found staff supported people in an unhurried and respectful way and had built trusting relationships which enabled people to make positive changes in their lives. People felt valued and supported with dignity, and the provider promoted a culture of empathy towards people and their relatives.

Feedback strongly supported this. People described staff as “cheery and friendly”, knowledgeable and helpful, while relatives described strong relationships, rapport and trust between people and their regular care teams. One relative said their family member had a “fantastic relationship” with staff and viewed them as friends. The evidence demonstrated that the service worked within the principles of right support, right care and right culture, with people receiving personalised support from staff who knew them well and understood their needs.

Staff treated people as individuals and were exceptional in how they made sure people’s care and support met their individual needs and preferences. People’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture, backgrounds and individual circumstances were recognised when planning and delivering care. A relative said, “I cannot praise the service from Angel Care high enough. I have found them to be an amazing team.” Detailed assessments involved people and their relatives, while care records contained information about people’s health conditions and the support they needed. The inspection found people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood, valued and respected.

Staff adapted activities and communication for people with learning disabilities and used individual communication approaches, including Makaton, BSL, personal signs, Voca and visual planning tools where appropriate. Relatives confirmed this personalised approach, describing consistent staff who knew people and their health needs extremely well and saying suggestions about activities and changes to support were acted upon. This was consistent with the principles of right support, right care and right culture. A staff member said, “The care we provide to the clients feels a lot more personal than some of the other companies I’ve worked for and it makes me really satisfied knowing that we can provide the best care to the clients and give them everything they need and we are never leaving the clients dissatisfied because we have enough time to do everything that's needed.”

Staff were exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were consistently supported to make decisions and exercise control over their care. Staff advocated for people and took proactive action to promote independence. For example, 1 person lost their bus pass, and a staff member contacted the bus company and located the pass. They then got the pass back to the person before they needed to go out again as they did not want the person to miss out on their regular group meetings.

People and relatives described support which enabled independence, community access and exercise. Families were involved in decisions and said the provider acted on suggestions for activities and changes to support. There was also evidence that this approach could lead to significant gains in independence. A review recorded that 1 person had rehabilitated to the extent they no longer required their existing care package. When the person expressed a wish to retain limited private support, the provider agreed arrangements could be made in accordance with their preference. Staff worked within right support principles by promoting choice, control and independence, using regular staff teams to provide continuity and supporting people to access their communities.

Staff always responded to people’s immediate needs in a timely and compassionate manner. always listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes and responded to their needs in a timely way. People said staff were reliable, knowledgeable and helpful, generally arrived on time and communicated with them if there was an unexpected delay. People felt confident raising concerns and believed staff would respond professionally and appropriately. Relatives described responsive support which could be adapted around people's circumstances. Changes could be discussed readily with the provider, suggestions for activities were acted upon and relatives were kept informed when unexpected events affected a visit.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. Staff consistently described managers as accessible, approachable and supportive. They said they had sufficient time to complete their work without feeling rushed, knew who to approach when they needed advice and could raise concerns through regular meetings and an open-door approach. Regular meetings, supervision, appraisals and staff surveys provided opportunities to discuss practice, raise concerns and contribute ideas for improvement. The team also provided practical support for staff wellbeing and inclusion, including additional shadowing and workplace support where staff required it, accommodating religious commitments, and access to confidential employee assistance and counselling programmes.