Blanche Caring Heart Ltd

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• 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 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told us and relatives confirmed they had been involved in the development and review of their care plan. People received a person centred service that treated them as a unique individual whilst keeping up-to-date with the relevant best practice guidance and legislation.

People told us and relatives confirmed that staff knew how to meet their and their loved ones needs. Relatives told us their loved one had everything they needed, and that staff were available and knew who to contact if their loved ones needs changed. A relative said, “The situation may change in the future they may need more care. I feel I can work with the company to adapt to their changing care needs.”

A member of the management team said, “We ensure people receive consistency and continuity of care from our care staff. We like to work in small teams. At Blanche Caring Heart we build a care team around that person with a minimum of four care staff to a maximum of six care staff which enabled the person to get to know their staff and vice versa, that way the care staff can really get to know the person and their routine. That way it ensures that there is always someone available who knows that person well and also who the person knows well.”

People could access the electronic care planning system which showed who was scheduled to attend their next care call if required the care staff before they left the care call would look and inform the person which member of staff would be visiting them next. This reassured some people.

Healthcare professionals spoke positively about the collaborative way of working between themselves and the agency. A healthcare professional said, “I have been working with [Name] to support with discharge planning for an individual and it is clear they know their clients and advocates for the appropriate support to be provided. I have also witnessed that they do not just care for the client they have been asked to support but will also offer support to the family when they have been at risk of carers breakdown.” This ensured people and their relatives received the support they needed from consistent staff members.

People told us and relatives confirmed they were provided with information which was accessible to their needs and easy to understand. A relative when speaking about the management team said, “They go into extra detail about what’s planned for the next visit and what happened at this current visit, so we are very well informed.”

A member of the management team told us that documents had been produced in an easy read format with larger letters and text for some people. Other people required different formats such as, telephone calls or face-to-face meetings to discuss any changes which aided their understanding and met their specific communication needs.

Staff understood people’s specific communication needs which had been recorded within their care plan. Staff had been trained and understood the importance of ensuring people’s personal data and information was protected and stored securely.

Feedback was sought and acted on a regular basis from people, their relatives and others. People had access to a complaints policy and procedure, knew how to raise a complaint or concern and felt confident this will be acted on. One person said, “I’ve never had to complain about anything with them. Senior staff make sure staff understand and can do their role very well.” A relative told us they had previously raised the concern with the member of the management team, which was sorted out within minutes.

The management team kept a log of any complaints or compliments that had been received which was audited on a regular basis. The audits included outcomes of any investigations, and a record was kept of any actions that were taken as a result. For example, a person had raised a concern about a member of staff and as a result the member of staff was removed from the persons’ rota and care call and replaced with a different member of staff. The person was happy with the result and outcome of their complaint. The issue was addressed during supervision meetings with the member of staff who had been removed from the call.

Systems were in place to ensure people could access the care and support they required when they needed it. The office telephone number was linked to a member of the management team’s mobile telephone when out of hours to ensure that someone was always available to speak to the person and offer them care and support if required.

Healthcare professionals spoke highly of the communication between themselves and the agency who they felt was open, honest and always available.

People knew the staff well and felt empowered to raise any concerns or issues they had. The management team promoted a positive and open culture where people’s human rights were protected and promoted. Staff understood the importance of protecting people at risk of discrimination.

Staff have been trained in equality and diversity and followed the providers policy and procedure. Care plans considered people’s protected characteristics and ensured any reasonable adjustments were in place and followed by staff. For example, a referral had been made to a social action charity who offered support to individuals with a wide range of needs.

Staff had been trained in end-of-life care and followed the providers policy and procedure. At the time of our assessment no one was receiving care at the end of their lives however, people’s decisions had been respected if they had chosen to make a will or appointed a Lasting Power of Attorney. This was a legal document that allowed the person to appoint one or more people to make decisions on the person’s behalf if they lost the ability to do so.