Archived: Because We Care Northampton

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 changed to requires improvement.

This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 55 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Care staff spoke warmly about the people they supported and demonstrated a caring approach. People told us care staff respected their privacy and dignity when supporting with their personal care. One person told us, “They (staff) are very efficient and very friendly in the way in which they treat me.” Another person commented, “They are all excellent, can’t fault them at all.” However, we found instances in a person’s daily records where the language used by leaders did not reflect empathy or compassionate care. For example, emotional distress was described in dismissive terms such as the person being ‘in a mood’ or ‘very rude at times as [person] didn’t get her own way.’

People’s individual needs were understood by staff as they were supported by a small consistent staff team. A relative said, “[Person] has the same carers. They are all very kind hearted.” People’s communication needs were assessed and care records detailed where people had communication difficulties how staff should communicate with people. However, peoples care records lacked sufficient details regarding people as individuals including preferences, goals and aspirations. Care records detailed people’s choice of religion, however, there was limited detail including whether people wished to observe religious practices or if they received spiritual support. This placed people at risk of not receiving care in line with their needs and wishes.

People’s care records showed care staff respected people’s day to day choices and decisions when delivering care and support. For example, where a person declined personal care, this choice was respected by staff and recorded. However, staff told us not all people had choice and control over their care. The provider was unable to demonstrate they had consistently supported people to make decisions about their care and regularly check people’s level of understanding. In addition, records did not demonstrate people were consistently offered choices to take part in meaningful activities and go out when being supported by care staff for care calls intended for social and community access. People’s independence was promoted, and staff enabled people to do as much for themselves as possible. People had mobility aids in place to support and maximise their independence.

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Care records showed staff were attentive to people’s health and wellbeing and where changes in people’s conditions were noticed, staff took appropriate action such as contacting the persons GP or adjusting their care routine. A person told us, “They (staff) both know me well enough and often will know before me if I need a doctor or the hospital.” A relative told us, “They (staff) are outstanding at communicating any concerns they have.”

The provider did not effectively identify and respond to the wellbeing needs of staff. Staff told us their workloads were manageable, and the provider was flexible in supporting their personal circumstances. However, there were regular delays in paying staff wages, which affected morale and wellbeing. In addition, there was limited evidence to show that staff had regular meetings with managers where they could share feedback or raise any concerns about how they were feeling at work.