People are always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. They understand that they matter and that their experience of how they are treated and supported matters. Their privacy and dignity is respected. Every effort is made to take their wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. This includes supporting people to live as independently as possible.

Independence, choice and control

• We can evidence how we involve people in deciding their own independence, choice, and control.
• We can evidence how our care and support enables people to remain independent and connected with people and activities important to them.
• We encourage and support people to achieve their personal goals in relation to their own care, treatment, and wellbeing.
• We involve people in discussions and decisions related to their home and living arrangements.
• Where there are different views about a person’s care, we ensure our staff try to help understand different perspectives but respect the person’s decision.
• We empower the people we support to maintain existing and identify/undertake a range of hobbies, activities, and interests to benefit their wellbeing.
• We encourage the people we support to maintain their links with family, friends, and external organisations (such as clubs and societies) and other networks.
• We support people to access specialist/adaptive equipment to keep them connected and able to access the community, including wellbeing and healthcare support.
• We find the right balance between allowing people the freedom to socialise whilst still maintaining their safety.
• Where appropriate to our service, our staff team understand our people’s preferences and backgrounds to tailor meaningful and fulfilling activities.
• We ensure all our staff team understand the importance of stimulating the people we support, and that the activities we provide are an important part of motivating and engaging people.
• We promote a range of activities, including those helping to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes.
• Where appropriate to our service, we document people’s engagement in activities and review these to consider new ways and means to increase involvement.
• Where appropriate to our service, we capture feedback at the end of each activity and review it to inform longer-term improvement.
• Where appropriate to our service, we draw on the talent across both staff and the people we support to offer a range of different activities.
• Where appropriate to our service, we ensure all staff involved in activity provision are suitably experienced and trained where needed.
• Where relevant to our service, we draw on the experience and expertise of activity specialists and national bodies (e.g., National Activity Providers Association).
• Where relevant to our service, the people we support with dementia can choose from a range of activities to promote wellbeing that are tailored to their preferences. This is in accordance with NICE Quality Standards.
• Where relevant to our service, the people we support with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges take part in personalised daily activities. This is in accordance with NICE Quality Standards.
• Where appropriate to our service, we ensure that visiting rights align closely with good or best practice. We can evidence how we support family, friends, and advocates to visit our service.

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