Almond Tree Care Ltd

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 told us they received care that was person-centred and met their needs. The care plans we viewed showed that people’s needs had been assessed holistically and provided a good level of detail for staff to provide care in a safe and meaningful manner.

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.

Professionals told us the service worked well with them to ensure people received the appropriate care and support as soon as the care package commenced. One professional told us the service took into consideration their knowledge of the person when assessing whether they could provide support to the person.

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

At the commencement of the service, people were asked about their communication needs and in what format they wished to receive information so their needs could be met. The records we viewed confirmed this.

The provider did not always make it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Despite some processes being in place to seek people’s views and manage feedback, including complaints, these had not always been effective. For example, not all complaints had been recorded fully and in the way the provider’s policy instructed. We were also aware of complaints raised that the provider had not recorded as such and as their policy instructed.

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

People told us the service met their needs and at a time that suited them. They told us they had access to the care they needed. An out of hours service was also available to them should they need to speak with someone from the service during these times. People told us that they had received no missed calls and that when a staff member was running late, they were informed. Staff told us, however, that they did not always have enough time to travel in between calls and the timesheets we viewed confirmed this.

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. We received no concerns from people in relation to how the service supported equality and we saw that staff had received training in equality, diversity and inclusion.

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.

We saw that people were asked about planning for important life changes including at the end of their life. Where they wished to do this, the service supported them to record their wishes. The relatives of two people who had used the service but sadly since died, told us the care their family member received had been kind, compassionate and considerate.