Qualitcare24-7 Ltd Portsmouth

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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People we spoke to told us they were involved in their care and treatment choices. Comments we received included, “Me and [person] were involved in reviews and updates,” and “Staff are extremely caring, they listen to me.”

Systems and processes were in place to communicate any changes to people’s needs to staff. These included regular staff meetings, communicating directly with staff on duty and sharing the information with the person’s team via their team leader, which staff we spoke to confirmed. In addition, systems were in place to obtain feedback from people around the care they received. The provider told us, “We ensure our clients feel that staff care and that the care they are receiving, they have participated, they are happy.” We saw evidence feedback from people was regularly sought and acted upon, with actions being taken where appropriate, which was also confirmed by external professionals’ feedback.

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.

People were supported by an allocated care team to strive for continuity. We received mixed feedback around continuity of care staff in the community. Some people told us they had received different carers than they’d expected, and their care team had not attended their calls. We spoke to the provider about this who told us at times staff cover is required due to unexpected circumstances, for example sickness or annual leave, and they would ensure the person would be contacted and told before the care visit where possible.

Systems and processes were in place to promote joined up care, including leaders working with other professionals, making appropriate health referrals and following up any actions required following appointments. Staff confirmed they were told of outcomes of appointments and care records were updated to reflect this.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People’s communication needs were assessed during the initial assessment process, with information recorded about how staff should communicate with them. This included information on any equipment used to improve communication, glasses and hearing aids for example.

Leaders told us people, and their families were provided with written information about the service and how to complain should the need arise, which would be provided in different formats if required.

Policies were in place for Accessible Information Standards (AIS) and a communication policy which staff confirmed they had access to. In addition, processes were in place to ensure the person was involved in what information to share and who with.

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 were able to raise complaints if they arose, which were then investigated, and an outcome would be shared with the person and their family if appropriate. People’s care plans had contact numbers in for them to make a complaint if needed and most people we spoke to knew about this. Some people did not know the phone number was there but confirmed to us they would raise a concern with a staff member if needed and felt confident to do so. One person told us of a complaint they had raised regarding consistency of staff. They told us leaders took action, and they were happy with the outcome.

Systems and processes were in place to receive, investigate and communicate outcomes of any complaints received. The provider had a policy in place for managing complaints and staff confirmed they had access to this.

We also saw evidence of compliments received by the provider who demonstrated this was shared with staff appropriately.

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

People told us they had access to specialist healthcare appointments when needed and people confirmed they were supported to maintain healthy relationships with their families. This meant people had access to care and were supported through the process where appropriate. Also, we found people had been referred appropriately to external professionals for care and treatment. For example one person had been referred to an Occupational Therapist for ongoing support and another had been referred to a nurse for appropriate care of a wound. Outcomes and required actions were recorded and information was shared with staff which meant the person was supported to safely access care and support when they needed it.

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.

Staff completed training in equality and diversity to understand and help reduce inequalities or prejudices that affected outcomes for people. Leaders and staff were knowledgeable about people’s care and support needs, care records reflected these needs, staff confirmed they had access to these records and people we spoke to told us they were involved in reviewing these plans.

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 confirmed they were not supporting anyone who was currently receiving end of life care. However, they were aware of action to take if needed and as part of their assessment process had considered people’s thoughts and preferences.