Office G19

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

People were receiving a personalised service that was responsive to their needs. Care plans fully reflected people’s needs and emphasised a person-centred approach.

People and their relatives and loved ones were involved in the planning and decision making about their care. People and relatives told us they were encouraged to be involved and were consulted about how they wanted the care to be delivered. One relative said, “I was so pleased and relieved to see how different (person) was last Sunday and it was wonderful to see (carer) working with him in such a person-centred way.”

People’s care plans fully reflect their physical, mental, emotional and social needs, including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. One staff member said, “The care plans they provide individual’s needs, preferences, goals and the support needed, and all staff have the duty to review the and update the plans to reflect changes.” Another staff member said, “We strive to provide person centred support. We make sure that we follow the tenant’s choices of care.”

People receive care and treatment from services that understand the diverse health and social care needs of their local communities. People’s care and treatment was delivered in a way that met their assessed needs from services that were coordinated and responsive.

Professionals and partners were positive about the response of staff. One professional said, “I have been impressed with the management team and staff. They raise concerns with us about any health issues for their residents promptly. They support the residents to attend appointments, both for the regular screening and learning disability assessments, and for appointments to manage acute medical issues.”

People's communication levels were assessed and recorded. Care plans detailed how people were able to convey their needs and wishes, and any support people would need to do so.

Staff used communication tools effectively to gain people’s opinions and wishes around their care. For example, Now and Next boards, visual timetables, and objects of reference were used to help one person understand routines and what was expected during their day. Another person living with autism used Echolalia, which is the repetition of words, sounds, or phrases heard from others, which can be a communicative or emotional tool. The persons relative told us, “Uses Echo, so they do a lot of now and next for her. That works really well; they stick to the plan and for the whole week, so she doesn’t get anxious.”

Information about people, that was collected and shared, met data protection legislation requirements. Information was stored securely, while electronic information was protected within password protected care systems.

People and relatives knew how to give feedback about their experiences of care and support including how to raise any concerns or issues.

People were supported by individual key workers who worked and met with them regularly to coordinate their care and discuss achieving goals. Records of these confirmed that people’s views and outcomes were sought, and actions put in place to work to achieve them.

Residents’ meetings were held, and families were invited to attend and contribute. Staff sent weekly emails to family members with updates of their loved ones’ progress and activities they engaged in. One relative said, “I get updates and phone calls and if Mathew wants to call, they make sure a phone is available.”

The provider had a complaints policy and people had details of how to make a complaint. People said the management was responsive in dealing with any issues raised.

People could access care, treatment and support when they need to and in a way that worked for them, which promoted equality, removes barriers or delays and protects their rights.

People can expect their care, treatment and support to be accessible, timely and in line with best practice, quality standards and legal requirements. This includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled people, addressing communication barriers and having accessible premises. For example, one relative provided feedback to the provider about how staff had used communication tools to support their loved one with their personal care. The relative said, “(The carer) used a mobile with the Support App on it to show and ask (person) questions about his food and hygiene that morning and he answered every question independently. Going through the list he realised he hadn't cleaned his teeth and promptly rectified this. I think that supporting (person) this way is really working for him as it combines the use of technology and indirect questions without the need for specific instructions.”

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. Care plans were reflective of these differences and took account if their abilities.

The provider had an Equality and Diversity policy in place, and staff practice and feedback showed a focus on maintaining equality for all those being supported.

The management and staff were alert to potential inequality issues and took steps to anticipate and address them. One professional said, “Staff take in to account cultural requirements such as shopping as certain shops which are halal friendly.”

The provider had not fully considered or assessed people’s advanced wishes for the future.

Despite a reluctance of some younger adults with learning disability to discuss end-of-life preferences, assessments of people’s wishes ensure that the individual's specific needs, experiences, worries, and preferences are known and acted upon.

The registered manager informed us that discussions had taken place at recent care planning workshops on how to capture end of life wishes and who was to be involved in these discussions. The registered manager stated that when care plans were required, these would be implemented. This is an area the provider needs to improve.