Bright Care Horsham

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 outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. A person gave practical examples of how they were afforded privacy and dignity and said, “When helping me in the shower, they give my privacy but I am very happy with all of them to help me. They close the door so I am not seen, I have a wet room. They wouldn’t let anybody in.” Another person said, “I am, happy with the way I am cared for. I am happy with all of the staff, there are 2 which are absolutely fantastic who I get on with, they are down to earth. There is one, [staff member] they are amazing. I don’t want to lose them. You never have to ask then to do something, they find things to do. [Staff member] sees anything and gets on with it.” Staff spoke about people kindly and with compassion, daily notes were written respectfully and included how people were feeling that day. A healthcare professional told us they were impressed with their observations of staff supporting a person and told us they found staff and managers were caring and polite. Staff and people formed professional, yet close relationships. Where appropriate, staff were jovial with people and we were told of a person who chose an amusing name for their walking aid. Staff knew this and referred to the aid by the given name, which was supported by their care plan and made the person happy.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff knew people extremely well and celebrated their strengths and abilities. The registered manager and staff spoke about people with respect and admiration. For example, a person was said to be very well versed in gardening, staff would take their plants to them for advice, this was meaningful for the person and showed their skills and knowledge really mattered. People’s achievements were recognised in the quarterly newsletters, a person’s dogs had won some rosettes in a local agility show. Another person had donated sewing machines to a charity in Africa after refurbishment, the newsletter signposted where other people could do the same if they wished. The newsletters showed people and staff frequently went out to shops, cafes and parks. Other articles included how to stay well in adverse weather and highlighted local clubs and coffee mornings to prevent social isolation. People told us they felt valued and staff knew them well which was also due to the registered manager introducing people to each member of their care team. A person told us, “Nothing but praise for the carers, they are well matched, they go to a lot of trouble to look at who can look after me.” A staff member said, “One of the care managers will let me know of a new client they feel I would get on really well with and vice versa.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People gave us examples of how staff promoted their autonomy and always gave options to enable them to have control over their daily lives. A person told us, “I have made quite a lot of improvement now, this is because of the staff, they have given me confidence to do things. They help me do things and let me do what I can on my own.” The registered manager listened to people and the opinions of staff, where people had experienced improvements to their health and wellbeing their visits were adjusted and reduced to reflect this. A staff member gave examples of how they promoted independence and said, “I suggest, encourage and prompt the client to manage as much as they are physically or mentally able to. This may be different every day but I was taught that one of our main aims is for people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. I never rush a client so I am always mindful before undertaking a task that we do have sufficient time.”

The provider was exceptional in how they 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. People were supported by a core group of staff to promote a continuity of care. People told us they were supported extremely well as staff knew them, their preferences and their families. Comments included, “I have a group of girls that come to see me, 4 of them. The always let me know if there will be any changes and I know exactly who is coming on what day. I have got to know my little group of carers and know they are all good people.” The registered manager told us how important it was to match staff with people, they considered personalities of both parties as well as values and faith. One person had a strong religious faith and their main care staff member shared the same belief. A staff member commented, “As we care for a client we will learn more of their culture, social and/or religious views. Yes, I know all of my clients’ hobbies and interests, I discuss different things with different clients. I have a client who is Roman Catholic and has stopped going to Mass. Although the visits were not on a Sunday, we went along to the church midweek and looked into church related groups and activities, also receiving communion at home. This made the client happy because they felt involved with the church.” People’s care records reflected their individualities and personalities, there was enough time for staff to support people with their chosen hobbies or to go out for outings and walks. Staff had access to technology so they could quickly raise or respond to concerns about people or update the management team if there was an incident or if people’s needs had changed.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were extremely well supported and felt highly appreciated by the provider and management team. A staff member told us, “I feel valued in my job as my company treats me with respect and appreciation. They recognise the hard work I do and they always support me. My company also make sure that my working environment is safe and secure. My manager is very helpful and they do listen to me and I feel comfortable speaking with them. They also support my wellbeing by providing me the break and time off between my duty. I do have 24/7 on call whenever I needed.” Staff achievements were celebrated throughout the organisation, the provider ran homecare agencies in Scotland and England and brought the teams together to recognise achievements where staff had gone above and beyond their responsibilities, this further gave staff the drive and ambition to continue to strive for excellence and provide high quality care. The staff newsletter highlighted where staff had been given the ‘carer commendation award’ where they had gone over and above in their role, votes were collated from people and staff. Staff received appreciation gifts and events were arranged to maintain a high morale, staff were frequently invited to celebrations and outings such as afternoon teas. All staff provided feedback they felt valued and were extremely happy and proud to work for the organisation.