Caring Hands (Wiltshire)

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 90 (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. People and their relatives told us the provider was exceptionally caring in their approach. Comments included, “They are extremely caring, I would give them a gold star plus”, “They are very kind, such nice people” and “They are really kind and treat us well”. During the visit we observed staff supporting people with kindness and dignity. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people and spent time chatting with people and asking after their family. People appeared very comfortable with staff and enjoyed their company. Visiting professionals said they were always treated well by staff, with kindness and respect. The registered manager told us they completed observations of the support staff provided to people. They told us they were assured staff were treating people with kindness and compassion.

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. Everyone told us they were treated as individuals, with one person commenting, “That’s the best thing about here, it is personal. I have tried other care homes, and this is the best”. People had received exceptional support to maintain their social and cultural life. Examples included the provider making arrangements to support a person and their spouse to visit a holiday lodge they had regularly visited before becoming unwell. The person told us the trip was very important to them as they didn’t think they would ever be able to go back there due to their mobility. Another person had been supported to host a wedding reception for their family in the service, as they had been unable to attend the event. Staff supported the person to decorate the home and provide a buffet lunch for guests. Their relative told us, “What absolutely made everything so incredibly special was that they had taken so much time and care with [person] to allow [person] to be able to join us. [Person] was washed and groomed and dressed in smart clothes and looked overjoyed to be part of it all”.

People’s independence was promoted, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People told us staff supported them to be as independent as possible. Care plans set out what people could do for themselves and how staff could encourage people to be independent.

The provider 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 told us staff responded quickly when they requested assistance. The registered manager and provider regularly checked care records and completed observations to make sure support was provided in a timely way.

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 told us the provider and registered manager gave them excellent support to do their job well. Comments from staff included, “They support us both at work and in our personal life” and “They are so caring and compassionate towards us staff”. Staff were able to access an external support and counselling service if they needed to. Some staff said they had used this service, which they had found helpful and enabled them to resolve issues. The provider had also made this service available to agency staff to ensure they received the same level of support as the permanent staff. The provider told us the staff are what makes the service a success. They said they make sure staff feel supported, listened to and all have the same aim to be person-centred.