Gowlands

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

Staff made sure people were at the centre of their care and support choices. However, people’s care plans were not consistently personalised, detailed or up to date. This meant staff did not have clear guidance in place for every person they supported to understand what was important to them and how to support them appropriately.

People’s relatives were involved in planning people’s care prior to them staying in the service. However, we received mixed feedback about how well the provider involved relatives in reviewing people’s care to ensure it continued to meet their needs and preferences. For example, some relatives told us they were always contacted for their views, whilst others said they were not contacted for any feedback.

Staff were aware of people’s individual preferences for different social activities and were able to tell us what people enjoyed doing during their stays. However, we received mixed feedback from people’s relatives about how often people were given the opportunity to go out and enjoy meaningful activities which reflected their personal preferences.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and responded flexibly to meet these needs. For example, responding to last minute changes in people’s stays and adapting staffing levels and skills to meet people’s individual needs. One relative told us, “They are flexible, providing extra care last minute in emergencies.”

The provider supplied appropriate information in formats tailored to people’s individual needs. For example, people had access to easy read information and staff used a range of communication techniques, depending on people’s individual needs and preferences.

The provider did not always make it easy for people and their relatives to share feedback and ideas. The provider had not routinely sent feedback questionnaires or surveys to people’s relatives. This meant they were not always able to demonstrate how they were listening to their views and using their responses to continuously improve and develop the service. The provider told us they were aware there had been no recent questionnaires or surveys completed and said these were now being planned.

The provider had a complaints process in place for people, relatives and staff to follow. People’s relatives told us they were aware of how to share concerns and knew how to make a complaint.

The provider made sure people could access the care and support they needed when they needed it. Adjustments to how and when people accessed the service were made as required to meet people’s needs. People and those important to them knew who the registered manager was and how to access them during office hours. When the registered manager was not on site, staff knew how to request management support if required.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care and support in response to this. The provider demonstrated a commitment to removing any barriers which prevented people accessing care. For example, they considered how to adapt the staffing and environment, so people’s stays met their individual needs. Staff were provided with relevant training to understand people’s specialised health and support needs to ensure they were able to support them appropriately during their respite stay.

The provider considered people’s future planning wishes when completing their initial assessment of people’s needs. The provider worked in partnership with people, relatives and relevant health professionals when required, to support people to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future.