Hales Group Limited - Newcastle

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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 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 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 at 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 people’s needs. Most people and their relatives told us staff knew people’s needs and responded to any change of their needs. Their comments included, “The carers have got to know me. I look forward to them coming” and “We have a care plan and staff do notes on the app.” However, other people stated staff did not always know their needs unless they told them. Their comments included, “Staff are all well trained although some are a little bit unsure of what to do when they first come, I just tell them what to do” and “Regular staff know what to do but not new staff,” and “I was involved with my care plan, but it is not always followed as it should be.” We discussed this feedback with the registered manager who told us it would be addressed.

Staff understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice. Some improvements were needed to ensure continuity of care. Not all people received care and support from a group of the same care staff to enable continuity. People and relatives’ comments included, “More continuity with carer's would be a great improvement as [Name] does not recognise them even though they have been before, as [Name] becomes confused” and “We would prefer to have the same carers as we seem to have dozens.”

Staff at the service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The provider was aware of the Accessible Information Standard. Information was adapted and made available in different formats, depending upon individual 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. People’s relatives told us they were fully involved in their loved one’s care and management and staff listened to them. The service had a system in place to seek feedback from people and their loved ones. A relative commented, “We did a telephone survey, and I spoke very highly of the carers. The care is very good, the carers really are the tops.” Relatives told us they were aware of the complaint's procedure. Relatives’ comments included, “If I had to complain I would contact the office, but we have not had to complain so far”, “Staff do everything asked. I have no complaints. I do have a telephone number if I had any concerns” and “I have no concerns, the staff are approachable and punctual.”

Staff at the service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service worked with other professionals to support people and to ensure they had any equipment they needed. People's care records showed they had access to care and support, and referrals were made for treatment when they needed it. Feedback was positive about the effectiveness of communication with the office and the on-call, out of hours system when the office was closed. Some comments included, “The office are very good at communicating”, “On call staff always answer” and “Office staff are very easy to talk with.”

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. People and their relatives did not report any concerns in relation to any experience of discrimination and inequality from the service. Staff worked to ensure reasonable adjustments were in place for everyone, so people did not experience discrimination because of their disability and needs. People’s care records included information around people’s identity, things which were important to them, their wishes and relationships they wanted to maintain.

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. Where wishes for future care had been discussed, this was detailed within people’s care plans to ensure their wishes were recorded. We discussed that where people or their relatives did not want to discuss this with the service, that this was recorded.