Hayes

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. This is the first assessment 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.

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.

The staff treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity. People and their relatives confirmed this and told us they had good relationships with the staff. Their comments included, “[Care workers] always respect me. They are polite and make sure I am fresh and well cared for. They look after me”, “They are all so friendly and helpful”, “[Care worker] respects me and my privacy” and “We always have a nice chat together.” The care workers spoke about the people who they cared for. They were positive and respectful in the way they spoke. One care worker told us, “My service user is a gem and makes me smile from ear to ear.” Another staff member said, “I love working with [people]. I could not be happier.” An external professional explained, “[The agency] provides excellent support for this patient and the patient’s [family member]. They rely on [the agency] as their main source of support.”

The provider gave exceptionally personalised support which included help over and above the care which had been planned. The registered manager had led a piece of work for 1 person to have a life changing operation. They had initiated the contact with healthcare teams about this, coordinated the care for the person before, during and after their hospital stay and had ensured all professionals and the person’s family were kept updated with the information they needed. Another person was living in housing which was unsuitable for their needs. The registered manager had advocated for them, contacting different organisations and the local MP to raise awareness of this issue. They also helped the person to understand their rights relating this. The person told us about this and explained, “[Registered manager] has really helped me with this.”

People told us they were treated as individuals and had personalised support. They praised the care workers for this. One person told us, “[Care worker] knows I like to pray. [They] respect this and support me to do this even though they have a different faith.” Another person explained, “They understand and respect me. They ask me how I want to be cared for and share their experiences with me, so I feel comfortable.” A relative told us, “I am very happy with this agency. Everything I ask for is done. The carers respect my home and provide consistency. The carers have become like family members. They respect my privacy and boundaries but have a great rapport and friendship.”

The provider supported people to have choice, control and independence. People confirmed this, telling us that staff offered them choices and respected their decisions. One person using the service did not use words to communicate. Their relative and staff confirmed that the staff communicated well with the person. They understood their communication and the meanings for different gestures, sounds, facial expressions and body language. The person’s relative told us, “We have the same consistent carers and that is so vital for [person’s] wellbeing. They understand and communicate with [person] and recognise any discomfort, pain or distress.” Staff comments included, “We always find ways to communicate. The more we interact with [person], the more able we are to understand [them]. This is important but also interesting for us. We are happy to support and listen to [them]” and “[Person] makes choices. We show [them] things and [they] give signs to let us know if [they] are happy or something is wrong. We work closely with the family to make sure we understand.”

The staff supported people to be independent and do things for themselves when they were able to and wanted to. People told us the staff encouraged them to be independent with aspects of their own care and to try new things.

The staff responded to people’s immediate needs. People told us that staff were attentive and supportive if they were unwell or unhappy about something. They explained the provider had been proactive in seeking support from others when needed. For example, 1 person told us, "My room layout is not suitable. [Registered manager] came to take photos. They contacted social services and a physiotherapist to come to assess this.” Another person explained, “I had a fall and a fracture. [Care worker] really looked after me at the time.”

The provider supported 1 person with a medical need when their relative was away from the country. They offered practical and emotional support for the person and kept their relative informed and reassured.

The provider supported staff with their wellbeing and enablement. They offered regular training opportunities, provided a range of information and held monthly meetings with the staff team and individuals. There was a comprehensive induction, and staff were supported with shadowing opportunities. Staff told us they could contact the registered manager whenever they needed, and they always received a helpful and positive response. Staff took part in annual appraisals to discuss their work and individual needs.