Prime Care Domiciliary Essex

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 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 service 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 care needs. Staff told us they knew people well and had access to all the information they needed to provide support to them.

We received positive comments on people’s care experience. One person said, “We have a regular group of carers that come, and we have consistency. They are all very helpful, kind and attentive.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. A person told us they were receiving care from the same regular staff, so they received continuity of care. Staff confirmed they had a regular working pattern, and they were supporting people they knew well. A relative told us, “The staff are very consistent. They all seem to have the same characters, kind and considerate. Happy, positive people.”

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People, their relatives and staff were provided with information which was accessible, safe and secure and supported their rights and choices. Systems were in place which enabled people to either receive information about the service or have their information in accessible formats should they so wish. Management and staff we spoke with told us information for people could be supplied in their preferred format as and when required. For example, information could be received in different languages, electronically, in paper format, different font sizes and Braille depending on a person’s requirements.

The service 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.

Staff were able to support people to give feedback on the care they received, or people could give feedback independently and anonymously if they wished.

The Operations Manager gathered feedback from people and relatives in a number of ways, through telephone calls, surveys, emails, face to face meetings and paper-based surveys. The Operations Manager analysed the responses for themes and trends to see where improvements were needed and where compliments had been received, these were passed on to staff.

There was a complaints policy where management investigated concerns and took action to resolve these.

People could access the care, support and treatment when they needed it. We saw people had been referred to a range of different health professionals, such as GP’s, District Nurses and Speech and language therapists (SALT). Staff understood people had the right to receive the care and support that met their individual needs. A member of staff told us, “I make sure everyone receives the right care and report any issues.” We received positive feedback from healthcare professionals. People were able to access care, treatment and support when they needed to and in a way that worked for them.

The Operations Manager told us regular meetings were held with all staff to ensure appropriate referrals were made in a timely way when needed.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. Overall, people received appropriate care and support at a time which suited their individual needs. Management and staffing team understood people’s right to equity in accessing care and support. A person told us they were treated fairly and had not experienced any discrimination.

Staff confirmed they had completed training in equality and diversity. Staff were aware of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act acknowledging diversity and valuing differences.

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.

Care plans recorded people’s wishes for the end of their life. This is a process to get people to think about what is important to them at the end of their life so staff can record this and meet their wishes. Where needed the service liaised with the palliative care team and other professionals involved in people’s care. The Operations Manager ensured all staff had completed end of life training for staff to enhance their skills when supporting people at the end of their life.