How Optalis Embeds Dignity in Daily Support

Optalis is an adult social care provider, committed to building services and support around the things that truly matter. One of our core priorities is ensuring that the people we support are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, every day, in every interaction.

A Dignity Check at one of our services offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on how those values come to life in practice. Carried out by team member Jon, the check was designed using toolkits from Dignity in Care and tailored to meet the needs of Optalis and the people we support.

Jon explained: “The Dignity Check was a really helpful exercise. This is a new team, and a new service for Optalis, so it allowed us to step back and see how far we’ve come, particularly in making the house feel like a home. We’ve made small but meaningful changes, like introducing a fish tank and keeping paperwork out of communal areas, and these really help create a more welcoming, homely environment.”

He continued: “It also gave us a chance to spotlight excellent practice. Our food champion, Rachael, worked with the people we support to co-create a more personalised, nutritious menu. That’s improved both health outcomes and social connection around mealtimes.” The process reaffirmed that reflection, teamwork, and a focus on people’s needs are essential to inclusive and supportive environments.

Rekha, from another Optalis team, described how dignity is embedded into daily support through structured processes and continuous development. “Our Rehabilitation Care Assistants take part in regular spot checks and competency assessments,” she said. “Service Coordinators observe how staff interact with the people they support—making sure dignity is respected at all times.”

Weekly team meetings provide space for reflection and early intervention. “These conversations help us monitor how people are doing, identify any changes, and adjust support accordingly,” Rekha said. “They help the team stay aligned and proactive.”

All staff complete Dignity and Person-Centred Support training, which reinforces key principles such as respecting privacy, offering choice, and recognising undignified care. A service-specific checklist complements this by prompting staff to review areas like consent, preferred names, and privacy practices during intimate care.

Rekha added: “The Dignity Check confirmed that our systems, particularly our approach to feedback, observation, and training, are delivering positive results. It’s reassuring to see that what we’ve put in place is working on the ground.”

These efforts reflect a shared belief at Optalis: promoting dignity isn’t a one-off task, but a continuous commitment woven into every conversation, action, and decision.