Radfield Home Care Chippenham & North Wiltshire

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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 reviewed 5 quality statements for this key question.

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 and relatives all told us staff were kind and caring. Comments included, “Staff are kind, caring and patient. They [staff] are very calm with [relative] and explain things even though [relative] is asking the same thing over and over again. They are extremely good” and “They [staff] talk to [person]. They will ask [person] what [person] wants for lunch. [Person] tells [staff] what they want to wear. They [staff] are very caring.”

The registered manager told us how they made sure staff were providing kind care that maintained people’s privacy and dignity. The registered manager told us they worked alongside staff to lead by example and demonstrate good practice. They told us they regularly sought feedback from people so if there were any concerns this could be identified in a timely manner. The registered manager told us they used their recruitment processes to identify staff who shared the same values. The registered manager said, “We are making sure we pick the right carers who align with our values. We are a family organisation, so we tell the staff this is not just a job, this is what we do. We also monitor the [staff] rota and make sure care staff are having a rest and not working too many hours. The rota is well covered.”

Professionals did not share any concerns about this quality statement. They told us office staff were polite and respectful when discussing people’s care needs.

People and relatives told us they received good care from staff they knew.

Management showed us some case studies as examples of care that had been tailored to people’s individual needs and circumstances. Staff also talked with us about how they were providing individualised care. For example, one member of staff told us about a person who had struggled to go out into the community. The member of staff had worked with the person to gain confidence to start doing their own shopping. The member of staff told us, “I encourage [person] to do what they can for themselves. Visits are geared up for the person, what they want to do.”

Assessments of people’s needs considered people’s protected characteristics such as religious and cultural needs and any disabilities. People had a personalised care plan which informed staff how they wanted their care to be provided. Records included information on their life history and any significant life experiences which helped staff to understand people’s needs.

People and relatives told us staff promoted their independence and made sure they had choices day to day. Comments included, “We all champion [relative] and support [relative] in staying at home. I think the carers are very good, they always tried to encourage [relative] to do the things [relative] likes to do such as prepare vegetables” and “They [staff] just encourage [relative] to do things independently like shaving. They [staff] show [relative] where the razors are so [relative] can do it, but they are there if they are needed.”

Staff gave us examples of how they promoted people’s independence and told us they understood how important this was for people. One member of staff said, “We always promote independence, we encourage people to choose what they want to wear, what colours they want to wear. We can do things together, but I encourage people to do what they can for themselves.”

Staff completed training on providing care that enabled people and encouraged independence. People’s care plans also informed staff how to promote independence. For example, some people had care packages to help them maintain social relationships and access their local community.

Staff knew people well and how to respond to people’s communication needs.

The registered manager told us they tried to match staff to people. They aimed for people to have a continuity of care and be able to build relationships with staff. People were allocated a core group of staff who visited them regularly. This meant any signs of distress or ill health could be identified in a timely manner as staff knew people well.

All the staff we spoke with told us they felt supported working at the organisation and able to raise any concerns about their working conditions. Staff were provided with breaks and work schedules that factored in sufficient travel time between calls. One member of staff told us, “We get breaks, I can do 3 visits in the morning then get a break. I have enough breaks and travel time. I feel the management do care about me. We have supervisions to ask if you are ok, if you have a problem you can go to the office and tell them.” The registered manager told us, “Our care team is important to us, and we spend time looking after them. We always think about how lonely staff might be on their own, so we tell them to pick up the phone and call us.”

Management told us they promoted an open culture for the staff and a culture that respected and supported staff wellbeing. Staff could go to the office anytime for breaks and refreshments. Staff were encouraged to talk with management if they had any concerns. Senior staff completed regular welfare checks with staff and there were regular staff meetings. Staff were presented with gifts on their birthday and national occasions such as Christmas and Easter. The service had a range of policies which supported staff wellbeing. For example, during the recruitment process. staff had to complete a medical questionnaire which helped the service identify if staff needed any additional support or reasonable adjustments to help them work.