Visiting Angels - South Middlesex Also known as Murray Moments T/A Visiting Angels

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 75 (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’s care plans included detailed information on their care needs and their wishes in relation to how the care is provided. Care plans included information on the person’s personal history, their likes and dislikes and who was important to the person.

Relatives could access the electronic care planning system, with consent of the person, to get updates on care their family member received. A relative said, “I’m a bit remote from where [family member] lives but I have access to the agency App, which is really good. I’m very happy with everything.”

The manager told us relatives are asked what information they would like to view about the visit to their family member when using the electronic system. The information from the visit could include pictures of the meal the person had

Staff usually visited the same people so there was consistency in the care being provided. Staff confirmed the people they visited had a detailed and up to date care plan and risk assessments. Staff said they felt confident supporting people with their individual care needs with a staff member commenting, “Usually very confident. I can refer to the care plan and if I feel additional needs are not being addressed, I will discuss with my manager.”

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’s care plans identified healthcare and other professionals involved in the person’s care.

People and relatives told us they usually had the same staff members visit them to provide care. Their comments included, “We do get the same carers, and we are very happy with it all”, and “We have regular carers who provide good care to [family member].” The manager told us they worked to have people having their support provided by the same staff to promote continuity of care with people supported to identify the staff the felt most comfortable with. The manager said rotas were allocated so staff provided support in a specific area to reduce travel time and the risk of late visits. Staff told us they visited the same people and knew the support needs of the people they supported.

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

People’s care plans and risk assessments included information on the person’s communication support needs such as preferred language and any equipment used for visual and hearing impairments. Risk assessments identified the importance of clear communication when providing care and possible impacts of the person.

The manager explained care plans and other documents could be provided in any format required to meet the person’s needs. This included large print and the person’s preferred languages.

The provider’s equality and diversity policy included information on the Accessible Information Standard. Staff were provided with guidance on how to discuss people’s communication needs with them, how to record the information, how to make referrals to other professionals for support and if interpreters were required.

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 relatives told us they were involved in the development and review of care plans to ensure they reflected the person’s current care needs and wishes.

Relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and where they had identified an issue it was resolved appropriately. The manager told us they obtained feedback from people and relatives through regular courtesy calls, spot check visits and during care plan reviews. Staff were encouraged to raise any concerns directly with the manager or through supervision and team meetings. There were annual surveys completed by people, relatives and staff. The results were analysed and, if any issues were identified, an action plan was developed.

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

People were supported by staff to access services in relation to the health and wellbeing. A relative told us staff assisted their family member to attend a hospital appointment.

The manager explained they identified any specific support needs and wishes from the person during the initial assessment of their support. The care plans identified religious and cultural preferences as well as their communication support needs. The manager told us staff were matched to support people from a similar cultural and ethnic background.

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.

The provider had an equality and diversity policy which stated that the service identified different people had different needs and that one way of providing care does not meet everyone’s needs. The policy described how the service would support people with specific support needs such as dementia, sensory impairments and long-term medical conditions to ensure their care their needs were met.

People’s care plans included information on the person’s ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientation. The care plan identified if there was any influence on how the person’s care was provided and guidance was provided.

The manager told us, “We don’t overpromise and under deliver. We work with the person to ensure there is a group of staff they know so there was continuity of care when there was sickness or annual leave.”

Staff completed training covering equality, diversity and human rights with how it relates to the provision of care.

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.

People’s care plans included objectives related to the persons health and wellbeing with guidance for staff on how these could be achieved so the person could make improvements to their day-to-day life.

The manager told us, if a person required support in preparing to move to end-of-life care, their specific wishes would be discussed, and a plan would be developed to identify how the person wanted their care provided. People’s care plans identified if they wanted to be resuscitated or if they had an advance directive for their wishes.

Relatives told us they knew how to have this discussion with the staff. A relative said, “We’re not really there yet, but I’m aware that conversations are needed.”