Help at Home Care

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 approach in relation to kindness, dignity, and respect were checked during spot checks. Staff were observed to uphold individuals’ dignity, for example by ensuring people were appropriately covered during personal care. When asked about if staff treated people kindly, a relative stated, “Yes, they did. Absolutely.”

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.

Care plans reflected personalised approaches to care, outlining specific requirements for each person. Daily notes further demonstrated that care was being delivered in line with these individual needs, showing consistent and tailored support.

Staff knew how to describe person-centred care. One staff member stated, “All staff know everyone is individual with different needs.” This was reflected in practice, with care being adapted to ensure each person received appropriate and individualised support.

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

People were supported to maintain their independence and were given choice and control over their daily lives. Staff confirmed that promoting choice was a key part of their role and that individuals were encouraged to express their preferences in all aspects of their care. A person told us, “They ask me what I like.” This demonstrated staff actively involved people in decisions about their care, ensuring support was tailored to individual wishes and promoting independence wherever possible.

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.

Staff demonstrated awareness of individuals’ needs, including recognising pain cues and changes in presentation, ensuring timely intervention where required. Staff confirmed they were trained to look out for any changes or deterioration in people’s health and wellbeing, enabling them to respond quickly and effectively.

One relative stated, “They are very responsive to anything. If we highlight anything, they respond quickly.” This showed staff acted without delay when concerns were raised, ensuring people received safe and responsive care.

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

Staff wellbeing was supported within the service, with positive feedback provided by staff regarding the working environment and management support. One staff member stated, “Yes we do, I feel valued. The managers understand. We have support. My manager is really good. We are a small team, we support each other. My workload is manageable.”

There was also evidence of return-to-work meetings being completed, showing that staff were supported following absence and that appropriate measures were in place to promote their wellbeing and successful return to work.