Newlink Care Services

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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. A healthcare professional told us, “Carers exhibit high levels of competence and professionalism. They have embraced trauma-informed care principles and applied the training provided effectively. Their approach reflects compassion, respect, and a clear focus on person-centred care.”

People spoke positively about the care they received and told us staff were kind and caring, positive relationships had developed between them. A person told us, “I like the staff, they are wonderful. They look after me and I am happy with the care. When new staff come in, they do shadowing and get to know me.” A relative told us, “The care is good, they take [person] out and they are happy. I am happy.”

Records showed the service organised a celebratory event for a person and had invited people that were involved with their life. Positive feedback was received from staff from the community centre the person attended. The feedback included, “In all the years, I have done this job, I have never been to anything like the afternoon held for [person] today, your staff were so welcoming and gracious, it was lovely to see so many people working together to give [person] unconditional support.”

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. A healthcare professional told us, “Overall, the care provided is good. Staff know their clients well and approach them appropriately, taking into account individual needs and circumstances.”

People were supported to follow their interests and maintain links with the wider community. People enjoyed various activities such as going out in the community, sensory activities, bowling, going to the leisure centres, snooker and shopping. A person told us, “I do voluntary work one day a week, serving dinner to homeless people. I go to choir and dancing and today I am going to [Community centre].” A relative told us, “The carers are nice, really caring. [Person] loves [staff members] who have been with [person] since they moved in. [Person] goes swimming every week and enjoys walking around the shops and being sociable.”

People were able to visit family and friends, receive visitors and were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships with people who were important to them. A relative told us, “I see [person] monthly, often at family occasions. [Person] will often say I want to go back now.” Another relative told us, “Staff are kind and compassionate with [person] and are open with me.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s choice and independence was promoted. Care plans set out how people should be supported to promote their independence in their daily lives and weekly activity planners were in place for people to engage in.

People were able to spend time the way they wanted. People could choose how to spend their recreational time and were able to go out into the community at any time. People were able to spend time in private if they wished to. A person told us, “I can be alone in my bedroom, I watch tv and make friendship bands.” A relative told us, “[Staff] try and encourage [person] to do things for themselves. [Person] likes a routine and staff stick to it. [Person] goes to the pub, has a drink and plays pool. [Person] goes bowling, swimming and likes a McDonald’s. [Person] has Sky tv and enjoys their programmes.”

Systems were in place to respond to people’s immediate needs and minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Guidelines were in place for staff on how to support people where there were signs of behaviours that may present a challenge. These identified the triggers and signs which may cause people discomfort and the support that was required by staff to help them to feel at ease. A staff member told us, “It is good working here. The clients are amazing and you get to know them well. I read the care plans and the Positive Behaviour Plans (PBS) plans, we shadow staff that are already working here and you get to know them [people] really well.” Speaking to staff and records showed the service used positive proactive strategies to deal with behaviours that challenged such as giving people space and reassurance or diverting their attention to something they liked and enjoyed. A healthcare professional told us, “Staff have completed trauma-informed care training and demonstrated its application in daily practice, improving engagement and reducing distress for individuals with complex needs.”

The provider supported staff wellbeing which enabled them to deliver person centred care. Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported by the registered manager. Staff told us they could raise any concerns, and they were confident they would be addressed. A staff member told us, “Newlink are very supportive. They are emotionally supportive and provide holistic care for their staff.” Staff had regular opportunities to provide feedback and suggest ways to improve the service.