Royal Mencap Society - Rotherham and Sheffield Domiciliary Care 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. Daily care notes showed people were treated with respect and kindness, with staff listening to people’s wishes and supporting them with their requested daily activities. One relative praised staff’s caring ability by telling us, “The carers are very good, they give [person] time and care about them a lot. Two of the staff have been with [person] a long time and have become like family. I can ask them to do anything. They also care about me and will do things for me so that I can sit and spend time with [person]. I don’t know what I would have done without them."

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 supported by staff who knew them well and understood their preferences. Staff worked in line with this person’s preferences to maintain their well-being. For example, staff knew how to respond when this person was feeling anxious and what ways encouraged this person to engage in their care and support.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff told us they understood the need to promote people’s independence. One relative told us, “Staff encourage independence, for example, they help to put [person’s] top on and encourage [person] to dress their self. [Person] needs help to use a fork, and they guide it to their mouth.” Staff were knowledgeable on ways of promoting people’s independence. Once staff member commented, “We encourage the people we support to make their own choices and decisions in every area of theirs lives. We encourage the people we support to maintain relationships with family and friends as well as access their community to widen their network."

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. The person had a regular staff team who understood how to respond to distress. Documented in this person’s care plan were impactful ways of ensuring the person felt safe and cared for during times of distress. For example, “If [person] is stressed, they will rock back and forth. Staff can offer their hand for [person] to hold and this helps them calm down."

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were provided with a range of training to enhance their knowledge on the people they supported. Specific training included epilepsy awareness and bowel health awareness. One staff member commented, “The training I get and have access to is not just informative, it’s also enjoyable.” Staff spoke positively about leaders, with one staff member telling us, “This is best job I have ever had. My managers are amazing, I enjoy workingwith my colleagues and enjoy working with my service users. I have bundles of support from everyone."