You may have heard about the 6 Cs in health and social care but have no idea what are the 6 Cs of care are. This article explains all you need to know about the 6 cs in care and how it drives compassionate care in care homes.
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Key Points
- The 6 Cs of Care—Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage, and Commitment
- Each C plays a vital role in care homes, from building trusting relationships with you as a care home resident to ensuring staff are skilled, empathetic, and dedicated.
- The 6 Cs in care impact your safety, well-being, and experience and can be observed through staff actions and care home practices.
- When choosing a care home, using the 6 Cs as a guide helps you and your family identify compassionate, competent environments where you can be treated with dignity and respect.
What are the 6Cs?
The six Cs in health and social care are values required for high quality care to be delivered in the sector.
The 6 Cs of care are:
1. Care
The most fundamental C is Care. This goes beyond basic services and is about creating a supportive, respectful environment where residents feel safe, valued, and heard.
Top-rated care homes on carehome.co.uk receive positive reviews for the quality of personal and professional care they offer. Families often cite attentive staff, cleanliness, and responsiveness as major factors.
2. Compassion
Compassion is about treating people with empathy, kindness, dignity and respect.
When reading reviews on carehome.co.uk, look for phrases like “staff treat residents like family” or “genuine warmth and concern”. These are indicators that a care home embodies compassion.
3. Competence
Every resident should be supported by trained, capable staff. Competence refers to the knowledge and skills required by care staff and their ability to understand a person’s health and care needs to deliver safe and effective care.
4. Communication
Good communication is vital between staff, residents, and family members. You want a care home that keeps you informed, listens to concerns and encourages feedback.
Care homes that rank highly on carehome.co.uk often highlight their strong communication culture, from daily updates to regular family meetings and accessible managers.
If you want to see how well a home communicates, read verified resident and family reviews before you decide.
5. Courage
It is the courage to do the right thing, speak up for people needing care and find innovative ways of working.
Courage in care means advocating for residents, raising concerns, and embracing change when needed.
It’s what drives staff to challenge poor practice and continuously improve standards.
When looking for a care home, look for care homes that demonstrate transparency, whether it’s how they handle feedback, or how they responded to challenges.
6. Commitment
Commitment delivers long-term, consistent care. It means staff go above and beyond, showing dedication not just to their job, but to every individual they support.
Care homes that show low staff turnover and high resident satisfaction scores on carehome.co.uk are often the most committed.
Why are the 6 Cs important?
The 6C’s were announced in December 2012 by Jane Cummings, the Chief Nursing Officer in England. The 6 care values were developed with nurses and care professionals.
Jane Cummings created 6 areas of action where the 6 Cs could create the greatest impact for people.
The 6 areas of action are:
- Helping people stay independent.
- Providing a positive care experience.
- Delivering high quality care.
- Strengthening leadership.
- Ensuring the right staff are in place.
- Supporting positive staff experience.
In the UK, the 6 Cs of Care are the cornerstone of compassionate, high-quality healthcare and social care.
Examples of 6 Cs in care homes
Care – A nurse ensures that your wound is cleaned and dressed properly. They also check on your comfort and emotional well-being.
Compassion – A care worker takes the time to sit and talk with you if you are feeling lonely. They listen to your concerns and offer reassurance.
Competence – Care worker attends regular training to stay up to date with safe moving and handling techniques to prevent injury to both care home residents and themselves.
Communication – A care home worker explains a care plan in plain language to you and checks that you understand. They give you time to ask questions and respond.
Courage – A care worker spots unsafe staffing levels in the care home and raises the issue and their concerns with senior management to improve residents’ safety.
Commitment – A care worker stays with you to support you in an emergency until an ambulance has arrived, even if their shift has finished at the care home. This shows dedication beyond their working hours.
Why the 6 Cs matter when choosing a care home
The 6 Cs of Care are values that define quality in health and social care including care homes.
When it comes to choosing the right care home for yourself or a loved one, understanding what drives excellent care is crucial.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your search or narrowing down your shortlist, evaluating care homes through the lens of the 6 Cs can make your decision easier and more informed.
Carehome.co.uk can help you compare care homes based on user reviews and official ratings and filter by specialisms, location etc.