Vermuyden 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 kind and caring. Care was delivered with compassion and people’s dignity was preserved and maintained. A relative told us, “[Staff] treat [my family member] with dignity and respect. If they have any concerns, they tell me straight away. We work together. They respect his privacy.”

A staff member said, “What I enjoy most is that it’s such a nice feeling, knowing you’ve made someone’s day better and brighter.”

Everyone confirmed any new staff first visited people, with staff they knew. This allowed people and staff to get to know each other before staff provided people’s care. One person said, “They come around with experienced staff.” They added, “It works for me as I can tell them.” Relatives said, “Usually, new staff shadow other carers” and “With new staff, 2 carers bring the new carer along. It’s a learning process”.

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. One relative told us, “Nutrition has been an issue. One carer [name] will get [my family member] to the table and make it like a dinner party. The majority of the time she is able to get [my family member] to eat. Another time, [my family member] said no to a meal. The carer made cheese on toast, just in case, and [my family member] ate it all.”

People’s plans included information about people’s backgrounds and interests and relatives told us staff chatted with people about their lives and their interests. A relative said, “If [my family member] chats about the pits [staff] will ask for information. They may recommend films [my family member] could watch. [Named staff member] is very caring. She was over the moon when [my family member] went outside. They know [my family member] well. We are happy with them overall.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People told us staff promoted their independence and choice. For instance,1 person told us, “[Staff] are kind and caring. They are gentle with me. They give me choices. The don’t rush me.” Another person said, “[Staff] give me choices and I can change my mind.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. People confirmed that staff responded to their needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress they might experience. The care staff we spoke with knew the people they cared for well and they were able to respond to people’s changing needs.

Most people and their relatives told us the times of their care visits suited them. For instance, 1 person said, “Yes, [staff] come at a time to suit me. If I want them to come earlier, they will.” One relative said there had been some changes that led to their family member’s care calls being too close together. However, they were clear that this was addressed by the service, saying, “It has got better recently.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. People were cared for by a staff team who felt listened to, valued and appreciated. Staff told us the management team supported their health and wellbeing. One staff member said, “Communication has improved so much this past 12 months, via e-mails. [Members of the management team] praise us. They make us aware of any changes. and make sure we have enough PPE.”