Choice Independent Living Limited

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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

People, and their relatives, were very complimentary about the care staff. They said they were always respectful and supported people in a kind and dignified way. People’s individual needs were recorded. Staff knew people’s cultural needs, although these weren’t always recorded in the care plans. Staff responded to any changes in people’s needs. People were encouraged and supported to complete tasks themselves to maintain their independence where possible. Staff said they liked working at the service and felt supported. A reward and recognition system was in place. Independent counselling was also available if staff needed to access this.

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 said the care staff were all kind and caring. A relative said, “Staff have a good relationship with [Name], they all know him now. New staff come with a more experienced carer.” One person told us, “They’re very friendly, I can have a good conversation with them on any topic.”

Staff spoke about the people they supported with respect and explained how they maintained people’s dignity when providing care. One member of staff said, “I want to meet people with a smiling face.”

Partners were positive about the responsiveness of the service. They said they had not had any negative feedback from people or their families about the support provided.

People said the staff knew them, their needs and how to support them. Where applicable, people’s cultural needs were met. One relative said, “They’ve been very respectful of her dietary needs” and another told us, “It’s better culturally for him having a male and whenever I’ve been there, it’s always a been a male and a female or two males.”

Staff knew people’s individual needs, including any cultural needs.

Care plans included people’s individual preferences. People’s cultural needs were identified in their care plans.

Staff encouraged and prompted people to be as independent as possible. A relative said, “Carers adapt to [Name’s] needs. When they want to do things for themself, they give them space. They’ll look around for something else to do or sit and chat with them.”

Staff explained how they offered people choice, for example what they wanted to eat.

Care plans identified what people were able to do for themselves and where they needed support.

People and relatives said staff responded to any changes in their needs or support. A relative said, “The actual care is flexible, to suit [Name’s] wishes. They listen to him” and other told us, “They’re always asking the right questions, and if he’s been uncomfortable, they’ll always find out if he’s had a good night’s sleep or not. They’re always aware of his wellbeing.”

Staff knew people’s needs and said there was good communication within the team if anyone’s needs changed. Staff were able to ‘pin’ notes to the care plan where they had observed any changes, or a person had asked for something different during a call. Staff said they would stay longer at a call if the person was unwell or at the end of their life. The management team would arrange to cover other calls on the member of staff’s rota.

Staff said they felt well supported by the management team and their colleagues. Staff said they were able to speak with their managers and colleagues after someone they supported had passed away. Staff knew independent counselling sessions were available if they needed to use them.

A system to recognise and reward staff for their work was used. Staff could receive rewards if compliments were received or on the recommendation of the team leaders. The service recognised the emotional issues that could be caused by supporting people at the end of their lives. A free, independent counselling service was available for staff to use