Positive Steps Shropshire Limited

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection we rated this key question outstanding. At this inspection the rating has remained outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

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

People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion by staff who consistently demonstrated exceptional kindness, profound compassion, and unwavering respect for dignity, ensuring every individual felt genuinely valued and cared for at all times.

One person described how they struggled to express themselves as an individual. They felt their needs were being overshadowed and they feared their personality was disappearing. They started to believe they were being ignored by the world around them. Positive Steps Shropshire Limited restored their faith in friends, acquaintances and especially those supporting them. They were supported to make positive choices in their life. This started with adaptations to their property which was individual and based on their preferences. They felt empowered by this to make other changes which expanded their social circle and improved their relationships with others. Their risk of social isolation diminished, and their self-esteem improved. They felt if it was not for the unwavering support of Positive Steps Shropshire Limited this would not have happened. They believed staff demonstrated values and behaviour which they aspired to achieve themselves.

Everyone we spoke with shared examples of how staff set positive examples that inspired confidence and trust. This empowered people to take control of their lives, to identify goals and aspirations and to achieve what they didn’t originally believe possible. For example, to make new friends, maintain existing relationships and to remove themselves from situations which they found to have a negative effect on their life.

Without exception staff spoke about those they supported with respect and positive regard. One staff member said, “The real benefit of the work we do is helping individuals maintain independence, dignity, and quality of life in their own homes.”

People were treated as individuals and the provider was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. People’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds were assessed and promoted by the provider. People had specific assessments based on their own individual needs and likes. These included things which mattered to them including religion, sexuality, disability and relationships. One person described how Positive Steps Shropshire Limited helped them tackle emotive aspects of their life which they had kept hidden from others. This had impacted on their relationships, and they felt isolated, and their mental wellbeing had suffered. Positive Steps Shropshire Limited helped them to identify what they believed to be important. They were engaged in identifying positives and consequences of decisions they wished to make. They were supported to make small practical steps which had a lasting impact on their positive wellbeing. This helped them put boundaries in place which removed potentially exploitative aspects of some relationships. They told us this helped them to calm their thoughts and regain a sense of confidence, enabling them greater participation in daily life and engaged meaningfully with others with greater equality and less risk of exploitation or manipulation. They expressed how their quality of life had improved beyond their expectations because of Positive Steps Shropshire Limited listening to them and valuing them as an individual with the capacity for personal growth.

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People told us they were encouraged to remain independent. One person described how they didn’t realise they were potentially being discriminated against. Positive Steps Shropshire Limited recognised the potential inequality in their life and supported them to make positive changes. The person told us their ability to make positive decisions had been hampered by their past experiences and the reactions of others. They felt they didn’t have a place in society and felt removed from decisions which were made about them but not including them. They went on to say how Positive Steps Shropshire Limited demonstrated how everyone they supported mattered. This had a positive impact on their mental wellbeing and their own view of themselves. This encouraged them to stand up for their own rights and choices. They felt empowered to challenge decisions which were made about them without their involvement. They told us, “I am the one who is in control of my care. It is me who makes the decisions now.”

The provider was exceptional in how they 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. One person described the support Positive Steps Shropshire Limited had provided when they struggled with their self-image and reduced self-esteem. They felt low in mood, demoralised and emotionally vulnerable. They felt they were ignored by society and health services and believed this was because of how they looked. They told us how Positive Steps Shropshire Limited slowly and carefully over time supported their individual emotional growth. They believed they were worthless and a burden to others. They stated they didn’t want to show others how they were feeling as they felt staff would regard them as weak. However, Positive Steps Shropshire Limited had enabled them to review how they felt about themselves. They felt able to express their feelings and could seek emotional support when they needed rather than bottling it up or expressing them in potentially unwise and unsafe ways. They stated Positive Steps Shropshire Limited supported them to express themselves and to be true to their feelings. They created an atmosphere where they felt safe to display emotions without fear of judgements. This had a positive impact on their emotional wellbeing and their own intrusive thoughts diminished because of Positive Steps Shropshire Limited involvement with them.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

All the staff members, without exception, expressed they felt supported, cared for, respected and valued by the provider. One staff member said, “Every member of staff and every client is really cared about, I’ve never worked in a care company like it, hence why I’m still working here and am extremely proud to tell people who I work for.” Another staff member described how the management team had responded to their personal circumstances by adapting their working arrangements to make it more accessible for them. They stated if it wasn’t for the response from the Positive Steps Shropshire Limited management team they did not feel they would still be in work supporting people. There was a real benefit to people as a result of the management approach to staff wellbeing. People received continuous and consistent support from staff who knew them exceptionally well. Relationships were positive as staff felt valued and respected by the provider and this was reflected in their interactions with people receiving support.

The management team had developed systems of staff support and enablement. This included, but was not limited to, menopause support, mental well-being support and access to counselling. The management team provided a high degree of emphasis on staff support and this was reflected in the views of staff and the outcomes for people. One person told us they felt if the staff member had not been as motivated or as engaging as they had been they would have slipped into depression and would have reverted to making unwise and harmful choices. However, as the staff obviously enjoyed their work and were truly respected in what they did they felt positive about the World which helped them each and every day.