Equicare Services Ltd

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

The service was caring. People were supported by kind and caring staff. People's independence was promoted and supported. Staff were well treated and felt supported. We did not assess all the quality statements within this key question. We did not identify concerns relating to the areas which we judged as being met at our last inspection.

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.

The registered manager told us all staff completed a range of training which included specialist training to understand about learning disabilities, equality and diversity and human rights. The provider aimed to match care workers with specific needs to support people. Staff spoke positively about the people who they cared for. They knew them well and wanted to provide personalised, respectful care.

External professionals who worked alongside the provider to care for people spoke positively about the support people received from the agency. Their comments included, ''The care workers are very understanding and respect [person's] needs and requirements'' and ''The [care] agency is very good at maintaining a good standard whilst delivering support to [children using the service].''

People using the service and their relatives told us the staff were kind, caring and respectful. Some of their comments included, ''They talk to me and listen to me'', ''They are very nice, like family. They treat [person] well, I really like them'', ''They are polite, kind and caring'' and ''They always chat and play with [person], they enjoy doing things together. [Person] is very relaxed with them.'' People also explained the staff respected their home environment and family. Their comments included, ''They are very respectful'' and ''They respect our home, take off their shoes and clean up after themselves.'' People told us the staff respected their privacy, providing care behind closed doors, asking for their consent, and giving them privacy when needed. They explained staff used their preferred names and pronouns. The provider had undertaken a survey asking people who used the service to share their experiences. The results showed people were happy with their care and they were treated well and felt safe.

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 using the service and their relatives told us they were supported to make choices, and these were respected. People and their family members told us staff encouraged them to do things for themselves and be independent. One relative told us, ''[Staff] try to encourage [person] to do things for [themselves]. They try different ways.'' There were examples of support the provider had given people to help them pursue their own interests and make choices. The staff had supported some young people to attend college and social activities. They worked with the young people and their families to understand their choices and make sure these were respected.

The provider had advocated on behalf of people when they needed this. For example, the registered manager was able to show us information about how they had supported a person and their family to speak with the local authority about concerns they had.

Most people lived with their families and the provider worked with people and their families when providing support to people. People were supported in a way that reflected their individual choices and preferences and promoted independence. For example, people were supported to attend activities in the 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.

Staff told us they felt supported and happy working at the service. They explained they could speak with managers and raise concerns if they needed. The staff we spoke with told us they would recommend the care agency as a good place to work. The provider had undertaken a survey asking staff to share their experiences. The results showed staff were happy, felt there was good communication, understood the aims and procedures of the company and had the right training.

The provider facilitated regular staff meetings. These included guidance and shared learning, as well as discussing areas for improvement and celebrating successes. The provider created one-page profiles about the staff. These included key information about their interests, skills and what was important to them. This helped to make sure staff could be matched to people with similar interests.