Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

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

We looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

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.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. We observed staff taking time to interact with people and those important to them in a respectful and considerate way.

During home visits, we observed staff delivering care in people’s own homes. Staff knew people well and demonstrated a clear understanding of their individual needs. They knew people’s relatives and carers and involved them appropriately in conversations and decisions about care and support.

Staff had a detailed understanding of people’s needs and any risks associated with their care. This was reflected in personalised care plans, which provided clear guidance to support the delivery of individualised care and treatment.

We observed staff speaking to people in a kind, respectful and reassuring manner. Staff offered people choices and explained what they were going to do before providing care. Measures were in place to protect privacy and dignity throughout care delivery.

Daily handovers demonstrated staff knew the people they were caring for well and could describe their individual needs, preferences and current circumstances.

The service 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 considered people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture, unique backgrounds and protected characteristics when planning and delivering care.

Staff understood the emotional and social impact a person’s condition, care, and treatment could have on the individual and those important to them, particularly at the end of life. People were provided with emotional support, advice and guidance to help them make informed decisions about future care and end-of-life wishes.

Staff recognised the importance of supporting people’s individual preferences and ensuring care reflected what mattered most to them. For example, staff supported a person’s wish for their pet to accompany them when they were admitted to the local hospice. Staff worked with partner organisations to facilitate this request, demonstrating a commitment to meeting the person’s emotional needs and maintaining important relationships at the end of life.

People told us they valued the support provided by staff and felt listened to.

Information leaflets were available in different languages and staff could access additional resources and accessible formats through the local NHS Trust where required. This helped people receive information in a way they could understand.

Feedback about the service was positive. One relative told us ‘I can’t thank them enough for all they do, going the extra mile. Gold standard service’.

The service 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 decisions about their care and were encouraged to express their wishes and preferences. We observed staff respecting people's choices and delivering care in accordance with their expressed wishes. For example, when one person declined support with personal care, staff respected this decision and provided reassurance and support without applying pressure.

Staff adapted their communication to meet individual needs and used communication aids, including communication cards, to support people’s understanding and involvement in decisions about their care.

People’s independence was promoted. People were supported to understand their rights and were enabled to have choice and control over their care, treatment and wellbeing.

The service 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 service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded promptly to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

We observed 9 home visits and saw staff treated people and their families with compassion, respect and kindness. Staff demonstrated a detailed understanding of individuals’ needs, identified risks and the actions required to manage these safely. Care was coordinated effectively with specialist teams and services to support holistic, person-centred care.

Staff were knowledgeable about referral pathways and were able to access additional services when required to meet people’s assessed needs.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of its staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care.

Staff described the service as a ‘nice place to work’ and told us there were adequate staffing levels. They were enthusiastic and passionate about the service and their roles.

Staff told us they were valued by managers and there was a strong coordinated caring team approach to care. They reported receiving support if they were struggling at work, with protected time built into the e-roster system. Staff could access support for their physical and emotional wellbeing, including an occupational health service.

Staff told us they felt respected, supported and valued by their peers and immediate line managers. They expressed pride in working within the PEOL community services.

Staff described a culture of continuous learning and told us they were provided with a range of opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. For example, the service had become a member of the Queens Institute of Community Nursing (QICN). This scheme offers a huge range of benefits to organisations and their nursing and Allied Health Professional staff. Membership provided benefits including career development opportunities, leadership programmes, and innovation and quality improvement webinars.

The service had delivered a ‘Care Camps’ which is an introduction to end-of-life (EOL) care for Allied Health Professionals across the Trust. This 2-day event was attended by 50 staff and covered subjects including palliative care, assessments, advice and support transition, EOL care, symptom management and syringe driver training. The training had been well evaluated, and plans were in place to develop it further.

The service was actively involved in the community and national Dying Matters campaign. Staff had also delivered a teaching session to 45 students at a local college as part of the health and social care programme. Feedback was positive.

The service received a range of compliments from families, including letters and cards, which were shared across the team.

Managers encouraged staff to attend organisational conferences to share learning, service improvement work and success stories. They also invited external speakers to support learning and development.

The service recognised staff achievements through individual feedback, Star of the Month and emails acknowledging when staff have gone above and beyond expectations. Staff are encouraged to nominate colleagues for awards. One staff member has been nominated for a Golden Star Award for outstanding achievement in staff engagement across the Trust.

The service actively celebrated the achievements, dedication and development of its staff, reflecting its values of compassion, honesty teamwork and respect.