Freedom Home 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. This is the first assessment 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 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Care plans, developed with the person and, where appropriate, their relatives were detailed and centred around people's needs. They gave clear information about the support people needed from staff on each visit and how the person liked to receive their support.

A relative told us, “They discuss [person’s] care needs with me, and everything is centred around [person].”

Staff understood the importance of person-centred care and gave us examples of how they would promote this.

The management team and staff were knowledgeable about people’s health needs and knew which services were available if people required a referral to other healthcare professionals, to address any changes in their needs. Healthcare professionals involved in supporting people who used the service gave very positive feedback about how managers and staff worked with them to ensure people received good outcomes.

A member of staff told us, “We work as a team, within the company and with outside professionals. All information is updated as people’s needs change and when advice is given.”

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The registered manager told us written communications could be sent in font sizes appropriate to the person. Care reviews included checking with people that they had all the information they needed.

Nobody using the service at the time of our assessment required information in languages other than English. Management and staff were aware of translation services to help if needed.

A member of staff told us, “People’s ways of communicating are in their care plans so if there are any particular things we need to know, it would be in there.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. This was done through satisfaction surveys, telephone checks and reviews.

The provider had policies and procedures in place to manage complaints and concerns. Complaints received had been documented but we discussed with the registered manager how outcomes of complaints needed to be better documented.

All the people we spoke with said they would not hesitate to contact the management team if they had any concerns. One person said, “[Registered manager] would sort things, not that there is anything to sort mind!”

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

In our conversations with people and review of information, we did not find evidence of concerns in relation to people using the service being discriminated against or not having access to the care they required.

A member of staff told us, “If there were physical barriers, like accessing the community, I’d try to make sure they had the right equipment so they could do this safely. Like for mobility, if they need special equipment and support, I’d talk to them and the office so they could have support to go out if they wanted to.”

People received a person-centred approach from the service, which ensured equity of experiences.

A person told us about the positive impact of being cared for by the provider and how this impacted on their ability to make choices about their care and everyday routine. This supported them to have the best possible outcomes.

The registered manager told us how they ensured people and relatives were involved in reviewing people’s care to ensure it met people’s expectations, needs and preferences, and any changes were made in a timely manner.

A social care professional involved in the support of people using the service told us, “They provided exceptional support to a [person] in a particularly complicated situation. The team not only ensured their physical and emotional needs were met but also maintained regular communication with their family, offering reassurance and continuity of care. Their proactive and person-centred approach has been instrumental in ensuring this individual’s well-being and dignity.”

The provider held an annual Christmas party for all people using the service and staff.

Care files included an ‘Advanced statement’ which was used to document people’s wishes as they approached the end of their life. Where people had a ‘Do not resuscitate’ order in place, this was clearly recorded.

A member of staff told us, “If people come to us already at that stage we speak to families, other professionals try to get as much information as possible to support them. We support staff who may have a rapport and feel sad if someone passes.”