Vestra Homecare Sunderland

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This is the first inspection for this newly registered 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. People and relatives were always treated with dignity, respect and kindness by staff who knew them well and genuinely cared about their wellbeing. We received consistently extremely positive feedback about how committed staff were to providing kind and compassionate care. The provider understood the importance of staff wellbeing and properly supporting them to fulfil their role effectively. The registered manager had significant experience in care and led by example in terms of how they wanted people to be treated. Person-centred care was at the forefront of care planning and delivery. Recruitment was values driven and the culture amongst staff was one of mutual respect. The provider was responsive regarding our feedback to find ways to further engage people who used the service and relatives with the development of the service. The registered manager and experienced staff reviewed care packages to ensure people’s needs and preferences were met.

This service scored 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff were always kind, respectful and compassionate. They often went out of their way to ensure people felt safe, secure and cared for. Feedback was consistently outstanding. One person said, “They are brilliant. They are the sunshine in my day when they come. They are so happy, and it makes me happy. They brighten my day, I enjoy their company.” Another person said, “Brilliant. The carer is really lovely, I get on really well with her. She puts me at ease.” One relative said, “It’s absolutely brilliant, it’s the best thing we have ever done – they are so caring.” These comments were not isolated examples and everyone we spoke with was extremely complimentary about how passionate staff were about providing high quality care. People were always listened to, their views always incorporated into care planning and delivery. The provider ensured this was part of the culture. Recent survey results from people who used the service saw high levels of engagement, and unanimously positive responses regarding how caring staff were. One relative wrote, “She’s polite, professional and always has a smile on her face. She manages to get a reaction of joy from our mum when we don’t.” Staff genuinely cared about people receiving kind and respectful care. They felt supported to do so by a provider who ensured they had the time to work with people. Feedback from external professionals was consistent in their confidence that staff provided a high standard of person-centred care, which respected and celebrated people’s individuality. The onus of staff to always be respectful was made clear from the outset, on induction, which was delivered in person by an experienced member of the team with a passion for person-centred care. For instance, making it clear to staff that any spare time could be used to build rapport, and that if anyone smoked, they should do this away from the person’s property. There was an attention to detail in the induction that flowed through to staff conduct.

People were valued and their individuality respected. Staff took the time to get to know people and not just the tasks they needed to complete. The provider prioritised person-centred care from first taking on a package of care, then reviewing it regularly. Staff tailored their communication style to make sure their care was person-centred and had regard to people’s cultural backgrounds and beliefs. Policies reflected this. Care was always delivered in line with the provider’s person-centred ethos.

People were supported to make choices. Their varying levels of independence were respected and enabled by staff, for instance doing as much as they could with personal care or domestic tasks. Systems and processes ensured staff understood people had the right to have choice and control. People confirmed, through regular telephone calls and surveys, that they were involved in decisions about their care. Care plans were succinct but contained pertinent information about people’s needs and preferences – these were accessible to staff, who were mindful of people’s preferences, for instance dietary or religious.

People and relatives were happy with the care packages they received, and that they were flexible when needed. People had been involved in deciding how much support they needed and how often staff visited. The registered manager regularly checked the level of care provided was the right amount to meet people’s changing needs. The provider was proactive when thinking about people’s needs.

The provider took a proactive approach to staff wellbeing. They understood the links between staff wellbeing, recruitment and retention, and better experiences for people who used the service. Two leaders were trained to be mental health first aiders and staff had access to an app that enabled them to access mindfulness tools. Regular staff recognition had a positive impact on morale and staff were treated as equal members of a team, pulling towards the same outcomes for people who used the service. The nominated individual was developing additional wellbeing conversations (‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’) to give staff the space to speak openly about what support they may need, and to put in place more practical support. One staff member said, “I have recently had time off and everyone has been amazing and given me the time off I needed. I have always felt supported from my manager. They will always give me advice and help.” Another said, “Doesn’t matter who I speak to about a query or a concern I may have, all office staff will go above to help me and keep me informed with the outcome regarding whatever the situation may be.” The provider had a range of policies and procedures in place to ensure staff wellbeing was appropriately supported. Recruitment was an ongoing challenge but the provider has explored a range of options to continue to recruit staff.