Brighter 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 in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

There was a clear culture of kindness and respect across the staff and management team. All the staff team were committed and motivated to deliver care and support through genuine connections with people and good communication.

People and their relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the service. They told us they had developed positive, trusting relationships with staff and their privacy was consistently respected during care delivery. We received many positive comments about the staff team and the care provided; such as: “[The service] are so good. I can’t sing their praises high enough this is probably because their attention to detail is very organised" and “[Staff] go above and beyond they treat my [relative] like family, and this is what we really want."

People and their relative’s explained staff were consistently respectful of them and their belongings. We received comments such as "[Staff] are very good at leaving the place clean and tidy as my [relative] likes it" and “[Staff] are always respectful."

The managers and staff were passionate about delivering genuinely compassionate and kind support that went above people’s expectations. This was confirmed by relatives. One relative said, “In my opinion the care shown by staff is outstanding. They will go that "extra mile" to make the patient comfortable and well supported.”

All staff spoke about people with genuine compassion and kindness. They told us of the importance of ensuring people received care that was consistently kind and respectful. They explained good communication and understanding people’s communication preferences was key to developing a good relationship with people. One staff member said, “Explaining things kindly goes a long way.” Another staff member said, “I feel the service is committed to providing good quality care, and staff are encouraged to work to the best of their ability. The team works well together, and there is a strong focus on treating everyone with dignity and respect.”

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’s care plans included information about their backgrounds and preferences. This helped staff to understand people’s unique and diverse needs and to talk people about their interests.

People were supported by a regular staff team who knew them well. We found staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual needs and how to meet them. The managers ensured
people’s request for a preferred gender of staff to support them was respected and acted on. For example, one relative said, “During the care plan meeting this was discussed and we asked for females and this has always happened."
 

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

Staff encouraged people to remain independent and work towards achieving their own goals and living a fulfilled life. One staff member said, “I promote client’s independence and give choice to the client i.e. personal care shower or wash as well as clothes to wear. If they are able to wash their own face for example, then we empower clients to do things for themselves.” They provided examples of the importance of encouraging individuals and respecting their wishes whilst also remaining attentive to those who may struggle to express their needs. For example, staff said, “One lady has dementia and we will ask if she wants us to put some music on for her” and “Sometimes her body language speaks volumes, so it is clear when she says 'no'.”

People’s care plans identified people’s levels of independence and how staff should provide support when needed. This helped people to retain choice and control over their care and support.
 

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 and their relatives spoke very highly of staff and told us they were consistently attentive to their needs and wishes and responded promptly when people’s needs changed. Staff knew people well and gave examples of how they responded to people’s needs. One staff member said, “It is their choice. If they want something then we can do, it is important to give them privacy, dignity and choice. I ask them what they would like to wear, eat. Sometimes clients have breakfast in bed, and we prepare this for them.”

People confirmed staff never assumed how they would like their care delivered and they were always consulted, care was always delivered in a person-centred manner. One person said, “[Staff] comes in makes me an egg and toast just the way I like it". Relative said comments such as “[Staff] would always ask [name]" and “Yes [staff] always check what [relative] wants.”

Relatives reported staff approach had resulted in meaningful outcomes for people. One relative said, “We have seen a marked improvement in [relative] condition, particularly since we now have regular visits by the same staff, so the staff have been able to cultivate excellent relationships. In any urgent/emergency situation they will take quick action.”

Systems were in place to ensure people were supported by a regular staff team. People were supported by staff who knew people well and their preferred gender of staff. People, relatives and staff explained new staff members were always introduced to people before delivering care. We received comments such as; "We have a regular team which [relative] really likes so this makes the world of difference", “We always know who is visiting and they won’t just send someone without first letting us know and also introducing to [relative]” and “There is a regular team which I am happy about." Staff reported they had been given extra time on their first visit to get to know people. Relatives explained this approach and the familiarity of regular staff had had a positive impact on people’s and their acceptance of care.

The provider and staff provided examples of how they had responded to people’s challenges to help them overcome barriers. Staff provided examples such as they had provided guidance to relatives about changing a person’s décor to help them orientate and find their bathroom. The provider had planned additional training for staff to help them support people who may become agitated or refuse care.

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

Staff reported the provider respected and valued their wellbeing and carried out acts of kindness to support them. They reported their wellbeing was considered by the management team. Staff reported no concerns about their working hours and explained they were provided with a rota which included breaks and days off.

Staff reported they were given the support and training they needed to provide safe and effective care to people.