Unique Personnel (UK) LTD - LEWISHAM

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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 service met people’s needs. This is the first inspection for this 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.

The provider did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. People received care and support from staff, and these were based on care plans that were produced following an assessment of their needs.

The provider used a digital system to store all care plans and records. However, the personalised interaction sections of some care plans, whilst written from the point of view of people, required more information to reflect their preferences, interests and support needs. It was clear that people had been involved in the development of their care plan but more details on how staff should support people with various elements of their needs was lacking. For example, for some people there was a list of what support they required but how the person and staff would work together to complete these tasks was not always clearly set out. We noted there were sections called ‘personal interactions’ where this could have been documented but they were not completed. We provided feedback to the registered manager, and they took immediate action to review these sections of care plans.

Care plans included information about people’s backgrounds, interests, social, sexuality and cultural or religious needs. We noted that people did not have a photograph of themselves attached to their digital care plan to make them more personalised and help staff identify with them. Although photographs were optional the registered manager told us they would start exploring this option with people and gain their consent to have their picture included within their care plan if they wished.

Comments from people and relatives indicated they felt the service was personalised for them. A person said, “I do have a care plan. It gets updated and I am very happy with my care and the carers especially. My carers are very nice and careful. I have no complaints.” Staff told us care plans helped them get to know people. Staff worked in partnership with people when responding to any relevant changes in people’s needs. The provider also told us they would provide additional training for staff around person centred care so that staff ensured people remained at the centre of their care and treatment.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible or supportive of choice and continuity. People and relatives told us staff worked well with people they supported and consulted them. They told us they received care and support from staff they were familiar with which helped with having consistency and continuity with their care and support service. A relative said, “I was involved in [family member’s] care plan and it gets updated. We all work together. [Family member] is visited by the carer at weekends.” Staff told us they understood people had a range of diverse health and care needs. A staff member said, “I can get to know people by reading and understanding their care plans and asking them questions to find out their preferences.”

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People’s communication needs were assessed and discussed during their initial assessment. This ensured staff knew how to communicate with people. People told us they did not have any communication issues and could freely engage in conversation with staff. The registered manager told us information was available in formats that were suitable for people to read, for example easy read or large print text. Staff were able to communicate with people appropriately and in accordance with their preferred method of communication should they have difficulties. A staff member gave an example and said, “I support a person who uses visual aids as they are non-verbal. I can use nonverbal cues such as body language to communicate with them.” The provider supported people who lived in diverse communities and could provide care staff who spoke the same first language as people, whose first language was not English. This helped staff and people get along with one another and remove potential barriers to communication between them.

People and relatives were positive about the service and the level of communication. A relative said, “The agency always contacts us and communicate well.”

Where applicable the provider also provided specialist training to staff on learning disabilities and communication to enable them to have the skills to support and communicate with adults and children who had this level of need.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. A complaint procedure was available for people and relatives to use if they were not happy with the service or had concerns. Complaints were received and investigated in line with the provider’s procedures. People and relatives told us they could also speak with members of the management team if they had any complaints. They felt confident they would be listened to, and action would be taken to resolve any issues. A person told us they knew how to make a complaint and said, “Not had to complain, I would phone the office if necessary.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The provider followed processes to make sure people continued to have fair and equal access to services such as registration with a GP surgery and referrals to occupational therapists, district nurses and speech and language therapists. Daily notes were completed which gave an overview of the care people had received and captured any changes in people's health and wellbeing. This ensured all staff members were aware of any changes to people’s health conditions and direct them to the appropriate health care professionals such as doctors and dentists. Staff confirmed they had also received training in equality and diversity, so they had awareness of people’s protected characteristics and the requirement for all people to receive fair and equal treatment irrespective of their characteristics such as gender, disabilities and race.

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 management team told us people were assessed before they used the service to ensure their needs and preferences were identified and could be met. Assessments of people’s diverse needs were discussed prior to using the service. The management team had an awareness of the groups of people who were at risk of inequalities and barriers to their care. The registered manager said, “We are committed to ensuring all clients are treated equally and fairly regardless of their background, nationalities and sexuality.” Staff told us they respected people’s social and cultural histories and understood the importance of promoting equality, diversity, inclusion and people’s human rights. A staff member told us they took into account people’s religious, cultural or diverse needs by speaking with them and referring to their care plan. Care plans contained specific sections for people’s equality, diversity and Inclusion, expressing Sexuality, spirituality, religion and culture.

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. An end-of-life care policy was in place. People’s families were involved in any decisions about people’s future care and support.