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. Staff were caring, they spoke of the people they supported fondly and knew people’s individualised needs well. One person told us, “Staff are nice to me, they always ask how I am and talk to me if I’m not feeling too good.” People’s relatives also commented, “Staff are all nice. They interact well with [relative]. They have good banter between each other.” Another relative commented, “When [relative] was in hospital they had their staff. I can't fault them. They know [Person’s] whims. They are like sisters to [relative]. Staff can't treat [relative] any nicer”.

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. Staff could confidently explain ways and methods of communicating with each person they supported. For one person who was non-verbal, staff relied on interpreting their behaviour and sounds to understand them. They did this confidently and the person’s needs were met following this interaction. Staff created personalised care plans which outlined people’s choices and preferences. Staff worked with external specialists to develop their skills at communicating with people who did not use words. They used a variety of techniques to enhance engagement with each person.

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 make choices by staff, with one staff member telling us, “I involve people by making sure their voice is central using accessible communication, giving them time to make their choice.”

One person told us how they completed their own handovers with staff about their day and their plans for the next day. A relative told us, “There are no restrictions in place for people who live there.” Another relative commented, “[relative] chooses what they want to do each day, and if [relative] doesn’t want to do something, then they don’t do it, it’s their decision.” Each person had their own preferences on activities in which they participated in. One person told us how much they look forward to going to the pub on a Friday with one of the members of staff. One relative told us, “[Relative] is having the best time. They go shopping and buy their own clothes now. [Relative] also enjoys going to the local football matches and cinema trips."

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. Relatives told us staff were attentive when people needed them. One relative told us, “Staff recognise when [Relative] is distressed, distraction can work to some extent, but it is not always enough. [Relative] is not good at putting into words how they feel and what they mean. I think staff do a really good job at understanding how they feel.” Another relative told us how the staff who knew their loved-one well, recognised they were in pain from their behaviour and promptly contacted for medical attention.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt well supported by leaders. One staff member commented, “Our manager is always supportive, and I know I will always get guidance from them if I need it.” Staff were supported through formal supervision and frequent “Mencap review” meetings. Staff also told us they felt safe and supported in their roles.