Home Instead

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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

We did not look at all quality statements for Caring at this assessment. The service was Caring. This rating uses some scores from the previous inspection. People were cared for by staff who treated them with respect and understanding. People’s individual needs and preferences were well documented and reflected in their care plan.

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.

People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity by staff. A family member said, “With Home Instead my [relative] has had a good experience, well excellent really. Everything is brilliant with the regular staff visiting and they always have their back, staying the full hour.” People felt staff knew them and understood their needs, including their preferences, wishes and personal histories. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. A person told us, “We look forward to the staff coming. There is plenty of chatter, interaction, and care. We very much appreciate good customer care and being treated properly.” A family member said, “The staff help with showering and dressing sensitively. We don’t have to tell them what to do as they know the routine off the back of their hands.”

We were provided with information of how staff went out of their way to foster caring relationships they had with people. Examples included, donating toys to a person for when their grandchildren visited and taking a person a meal of pie and mash as they had told the staff member how much they loved it. Staff spoke fondly about the people they supported. A staff member said, “I really like being with the people I visit. Working with them is good and I feel good when helping them.” Another told us, “The people I care for are all lovely.”

We saw evidence of joint working with professionals. Staff looked out for people and appropriate referrals were made if people needed extra support or there was concern for their health. Working and liaising well with St Luke’s hospice had ensured staff had information and support to care for people on palliative or end of life care.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

People were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about how their care was provided. A person told us, “Staff are very considerate and it’s very rare that we’ve been let down. The service is very good. They refuse to compromise on the quality of care. Staff are flexible to anything that we want. At first, we needed help shopping and now personal care, as time has gone on, we’ve changed the system, and require help with more things.” Staff supported people to access the community, attend appointments and special events and activities as requested by them. This promoted and supported their independence, health, and wellbeing. A family member said, “Taking [relative] out for a walk is great for them and they feel so much better having exercised.”

Staff told us they valued the people they cared for. They talked about people’s progress and achievements with pride and how they had some influence on changing their lives for the better. A staff member said, “I have celebrated with people special times such as birthdays and the anniversary of their spouses passing. They have shared life stories, holiday destinations, and I have enjoyed gardening with them.” Staff were trained to support people with using equipment such as hoists and wheelchairs to aid and maximize their independence.

People’s views were sought and listened to. Family members told us communication with the service was very good. A family member said, “[Relative] has a whiteboard and I update who’s coming. Communication is very well organised here, accommodating, and arranging extra shifts if need be.” People had the necessary equipment at home and if anything was required, a referral would be made to a relevant professional, in liaison with the person and their family. The provider told us of how they partner with companies to assist people with their independence, such as personal care alarms, falls detectors and home sensors. Also to support people to understand their mobile phone to prevent scams. They had also set up an exercise club for those with memory loss and a Memory Loss Café project was underway. The provider was accredited as ‘Working towards a dementia friendly community.’

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.