The Recruitment Partnership Also known as Total Care UK

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this registered service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Improvements were needed to ensure care records reflected an accurate record of the personalised care people received. The provider respected people’s choices and worked in partnership with people, and their representatives to plan their care.

Although staff knew people well and provided personalised care, we found the care records needed some improvement to ensure they fully reflected the personalised support people were receiving. We fed this back to the registered manager and provider, who put a plan in place to ensure the required improvements were implemented.

People were involved in the planning of their care which ensured they were at the centre of the care provided. One person said, “The information we talked about is in my care file and I can access it if I want to. My relative reads it and checks everything for me” A relative said, “I have always been involved in the planning of the support my relative needs.”

People and relatives told us they had regular staff who they knew well and provided support in line with their preferences. Where changes were needed, people and relatives told us the provider acted on these to ensure the care suited the needs of the person.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Relatives told us staff promptly shared any concerns about people’s health and contacted healthcare professionals for advice or to arrange appointments when needs changed. Staff confirmed they monitored people’s wellbeing at each visit and worked with the provider to escalate concerns and seek guidance from relevant professionals.

Care records showed evidence of partnership working with other professionals. Advice had been sought and referrals made where necessary to ensure people received holistic support for their health and care needs.

The provider supplied information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People and their relatives told us they had received a copy of their care plan. People and relatives were able to access the daily care information through the electronic system so they could see the care provided at each visit. One relative said, “I can access the care records and make sure that the care being delivered is what had been agreed.”

Staff understood people’s individual communication methods, and care plans provided clear guidance on how to support people to express their views effectively. For example, 1 person’s care plan stated they could become confused and find it difficult to communicate. Staff were advised to give the person time and communicate slowly.

The registered manager explained the steps taken to make information accessible and to support effective communication between people and staff. For example, large print formats were provided for people with visual impairments, enabling them to remain involved in decisions about their care.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People and their relatives told us they knew how to raise a complaint or feedback any concerns about the care provided. One person said, “I’ve never had to complain but I would feel comfortable speaking with the staff.” A relative said, “I would contact the office, and I know it would be dealt with.”

There was a system in place to ensure complaints received at the service were investigated and responded to in line with the provider’s policy. Complaint records showed the action taken where issues had been raised by people or relatives about their care, which had been acted on and resolved in a timely manner to ensure the required improvements were made.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People and their relatives told us staff were reliable and that they had not experienced any missed or cancelled visits. One person said, “I’ve never had a problem. I find the staff very reliable, and they have never missed a call. If they are running late, I always get a call, so I know what is happening.” Another person commented, “They [staff] are very reliable. I know who is coming and I have never had a problem with cancelled or missed calls.”

Staff took appropriate action to maintain people’s health and contacted other professionals when people’s health deteriorated. One staff member said, “If I think people are unwell, I just phone the doctor for them. I also phone the District Nurse when needed and I report this to the office.”

Records confirmed staff had contacted external health and social care professionals when required to ensure people had access to the care and treatment they needed as their needs changed.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

People told us they felt valued and treated with dignity, and staff provided care that was person-centred and inclusive. Staff respected people’s diversity and promoted equality and inclusion in the care they provided. They understood the importance of recognising individual characteristics such as culture, religion, gender and ensured these were reflected in the way they supported people.

Staff completed training in equality, diversity and inclusion, and had access to the provider’s policies. This enabled staff to understand how to promote people’s diverse needs and respond in a way that provided positive outcomes

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

The provider was not delivering end of life care at the time of our inspection. However, staff had received relevant training to ensure they understood how to support people with dignity and in line with their individual preferences at this stage of their life.