District Healthcare Limited Also known as District Homecare

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

We assessed all of the quality statements within this key question. Our rating for this question is good. People told us staff were kind, caring and respected people’s right to privacy and to be treated with dignity. People were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves, to maintain, build and further strengthen their independence to undertake the tasks of daily living. Staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded appropriately to people’s needs during times of distress. Staff wellbeing was promoted to support them to always deliver person-centred care.

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 staff were kind and caring. One person told us “They are all kind and caring towards me” and relatives confirmed this. We also observed staff being kind and compassionate towards people. People felt staff would respond to their needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they were in pain, discomfort or distress.

The management team and staff spoke about people respectfully and with kindness. The management team undertook competency checks to seek assurances people were being treated with kindness and dignity by staff. The registered manager told us about how these competencies were face-to-face to ensure dignity was maintained at all times and this is assessed through communication, respecting choices, offering choices and allowing privacy.

We spoke with partners working with the service. There were no concerns highlighted relating to the kindness, compassion and dignity of the service. One partner told us the registered manager had always been compassionate when discussing the needs of people.

Relatives told us staff took into account people’s individual needs. One relative told us “They’ve made (person’s name) feel useful again, she makes cards and teddies and they get in the supplies, they have given her a purpose again”.

The management team demonstrated a strong understanding of people’s care and support needs and preferences. Staff were able to tell us people’s individual needs and how to support them to be as independent as possible.

The registered manager had systems and processes in place to ensure people’s individual needs were recorded, understood and met by staff when providing care and support as well as a comprehensive detailed background of the person’s life. People’s care plans identified people’s individual needs and preferences and guided staff on how the person liked to be provided care and support. The records identified tasks the person was able to complete and others where they needed support.

People told us “They are all kind and caring towards me, feel that I can always ask them anything and if they can help then they will”. We received mixed feedback about the choice and control of visit times. Some people told us they were informed of changes, however some people were not happy with their visit times and told us they were not kept up to date with changes.

The management team and staff told us about a person who had religious needs and how the person’s care was tailored to support the person’s choice. They explained how their visits allowed the person’s religious needs to be met and how this was documented in the person’s care plan. Staff were respectful of people’s choices and how they lived their life.

The registered manager had systems and processes in place to ensure people’s choices and decisions informed how their care and support were provided. The management team undertook assessments and reviews of people’s care and support needs and obtained information such as people’s likes and dislikes, preferred routines and how they wished to spend their day. This information was shared with staff through each person’s care plan. The registered manager was aware some people were not happy with their arranged visiting times. The registered manager was providing information and solutions to resolve the concerns raised.

People and their relatives told us about times where staff had noticed changes in the person’s health and had discussed these changes with them in order to contact the relevant professional and receive appropriate treatment.

Staff told us about how they would escalate any concerns or queries. Staff told us about times when they had sourced immediate support from medical professionals due to changes in the person’s health needs or if someone had fallen. Staff were able to tell us who they would contact in response to non-urgent and emergency situations. A staff member told us while responding to someone’s immediate needs “It is just about communication and reassurance with the client and family”. Daily records were documented by staff and highlighted any changes in the person’s presentation or needs.

Staff told us they felt safe and supported at work, one staff member told us “Yes, I feel safe and we do have lone risk assessments in place”. Another told us “I do feel supported in my role and (registered manager) has got me through some tough times, so there is support there with personal issues too”. The registered manager told us they did not pressure staff to support the service when they were unwell. A staff member told us “I’ve been coming home happy and not stressed and they don’t badger you if you have a day off”.

The registered manager encouraged a culture where staff wellbeing was promoted, to support staff to deliver safe and high-quality care to people. The registered manager told us about how staff could raise concerns through staff meetings, supervision and visiting the office. Staff confirmed this. The registered manager told us about personalised support that ensured good well-being through inclusivity, active listening and open conversations. We observed an emergency situation while on site where the registered manager took over from a staff member. We observed the registered manager being calm, compassionate and caring. The registered manager supported a staff member and facilitated a staff member’s reasonable adjustments.