Albany House - Stratford-upon-Avon

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 79 (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 was exceptional at making 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 consistently described receiving highly personalised care from staff who had developed an exceptional understanding of what was important to them. Staff worked closely with people to understand their aspirations, preferences and long-term goals, supporting them to live fulfilling lives while maintaining as much independence as possible. Staff recognised people’s strengths, celebrated their growing confidence, and focused on what they could achieve, rather than just the support they required. Relatives told us staff were skilled at understanding their family members and how to effectively support and encourage them, by breaking down plans into achievable steps and working at their family member’s pace.

Staff used their detailed knowledge of people to develop exceptionally person-centred care and support. They worked alongside people to identify meaningful goals and create practical, achievable plans to help them succeed. For some people, this involved breaking ambitious aspirations, such as independently travelling overseas to maintain important relationships, into smaller and manageable steps. This approach had enabled people to achieve significant outcomes, including gaining employment, enhanced well-being, developing life skills and successfully moving into their own tenancies within the community.

There was a strong and consistent culture across the service of supporting people to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Staff demonstrated patience, commitment and a shared belief that progress should be led by the person and achieved at a pace that suited them. Staff recognised that developing confidence, independence and new skills could take time. They remained focused on supporting people to achieve outcomes which mattered to them, however long the journey. As a result, people were empowered to lead increasingly independent lives and achieve goals which may have previously seemed out of reach.

Additionally, staff recognised and responded to some people’s needs to be content and feel safe in the moment, and their need for Albany House to remain their own home.

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.

The provider demonstrated a strong understanding of people's physical, emotional and social needs and worked proactively with a wide range of health and social care professionals to ensure seamless and continuous care. Staff developed effective partnerships with health and social care professionals including dentists, social workers and community mental health teams, enabling people to access specialist support when required.

Staff were committed to ensuring people's needs were met through well-coordinated and responsive care. They had developed links with specialist clinicians and consultants at both local and national level to obtain expert guidance and ensure people received the most appropriate support. This collaborative approach helped people achieve positive outcomes and promoted continuity of care.

Recommendations and guidance from external professionals was embedded into daily practice. Staff understood and consistently followed this guidance, helping to ensure people received joined-up, person-centred support which reflected their changing needs and aspirations.

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

People’s care plans provided staff with clear guidance on how to meet their communication and sensory needs. Communication support needs were recognised and responded to effectively, helping people to express their wishes, make choices about their care and maintain their independence. For example, staff had developed personalised communication cards on a key fob to help 1 person communicate their needs and preferences, ensuring they were understood and able to take an active role in decisions about their support.

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 their relatives were encouraged to share feedback and raise any concerns about the care provided. Staff knew what action to take if a person or their representatives wished to raise a concern or make a complaint. Staff told us they worked with people to resolve any concerns promptly, so people were caused minimum distress. However, processes were in place for managing complaints or concerns, should people wished to raise them.

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

People told us they were treated fairly and were supported to access the services they wanted when they wished. Staff understood people's individual backgrounds and diverse experiences, including where people had previously experienced marginalisation, or barriers to accessing support. Staff adapted their approach to ensure people had the opportunities they needed so their needs would be met.

Staff worked with people and health and social care professionals to ensure fair access to health, social care and support services. This included responding promptly to requests for support and carefully considering emergency referrals, helping people to access the right care at the right time, reducing the risk of exclusion and supporting people to remain as safe as possible.

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.

People experienced equitable outcomes and were supported to achieve goals which were important to them. Through personalised support from staff, people developed skills, increased their independence and improved their quality of life. Some people, including those who had previously experienced social exclusion or barriers to participation, had gained employment, moved on to manage their own tenancies, enrolled in college, and developed the confidence and coping strategies to spend time in the community with reduced anxiety.

Staff worked closely with people, their families and partner professionals to understand and overcome barriers to achieving positive outcomes. Through person-centred planning and ongoing support, people were encouraged and enabled to develop new skills, build confidence and achieve greater independence. For example, some people were supported to manage anxiety when travelling locally, while others developed the skills and confidence to travel independently over long distances to maintain important relationships with family members. A local employer told us staff showed tenacity and determination when supporting people to overcome barriers to employment. They described how staff worked collaboratively with people and employers to achieve positive outcomes, enabling some people to achieve life-changing goals.

Members of the local community had recently complimented the service about the progress people had made since receiving support from Albany House. They recognised the significant positive impact staff had on people's lives, including enabling people who had previously experienced significant social isolation and barriers to community inclusion to develop meaningful community connections, improve their wellbeing and participate more fully in community life.

People were not always 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.

Planning for future care was not fully developed, and it was not clear from care plans if people had opportunities to discuss their end of life wishes over time. However, some important aspects of future planning had been considered, such as whether people had completed a ReSPECT form. A ReSPECT form is a personalized emergency care plan that records a person's treatment preferences and clinical recommendations if they become unable to communicate their wishes during a medical crisis. Staff were also able to provide examples of how they had sought to understand and respect people's preferences when supporting them during significant stages of their lives.

The registered manager acknowledged there was scope to strengthen arrangements for end of life care planning. They provided assurances they would work with people and, where appropriate, their representatives to develop more detailed plans and review training opportunities to support staff in having these conversations.