Person-centred perspective

Treat your staff with respect. How owners and managers relate to their staff reinforces the culture of the whole organisation. Their commitment must be continually supported and refreshed. Staff can be overwhelmed by the volume and pace of work and a personalised focus can be hard to maintain.

There is evidence from the NHS that high-quality patient care is associated with positive staff experience.

Checklist for owners and managers

Treating staff with respect

• Are staff at all levels paid and managed in a way which supports candour, honesty, openness and compassion?
• Do you treat the staff as you want residents to be treated?
• Do you listen to your staff?
• A person-centred organisation welcomes feedback from residents and staff. Are all comments, including negative ones discussed openly, and without blame?

Developing a person-centred culture

• Owners and managers should support the development of a person-centred culture in everything they do.
• Thinking about personalisation should be central to staff training, development and support. How do you arrange this? Are all the staff trained in the approach – including catering, cleaning and other domestic staff?
• How is personalisation built into the day-to-day work of your team?
• How do you monitor how well you are doing?
• Is there a system for reporting progress back to the team? How is good practice rewarded?

Everything in the home should reflect your focus on the individual

• Do people have choice about where and when they eat?
• Does each person’s room reflect their lifestyle and personality?
• Do common rooms display a range of activities and interests?