Apex Prime Care - Hampden Park

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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 provider 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.

The provider supported staff to deliver person-centred care and promoted a culture where people were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care. Documentation was personalised and reflected people's individuality and choices. This meant staff had access to information which supported them to provide care and support that was responsive to people's needs and personal preferences.

People felt that care staff took the time to get to know them and understood their needs. Telling us, “The carers are very skilled. It’s not just that the quality of care and caring given are good, but it is given in a professional way,” and, “I was in hospital and they contacted Apex who came to our home and had a look around, assessed what care we needed and was agreed. There was a good chat about what was required. At the end of the 4-6 weeks, we’ll probably only need one visit every day.”

Relatives told us care was person centred and visits could be adapted to ensure people received the support they required. One relative told us they cared for their loved one at home. When they had needed to attend a health appointment themselves, they had called the office and explained the situation. The care supervisor had arranged an extra 2 hour visit to support the person whilst their relative was out.

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.

Assessments were completed before a package of care was agreed. This enabled management to review a person's needs and ensure care staff were available and adequately trained to meet their needs. The registered manager told us, “We look at our team and what we can safely provide for people, we are not always able to meet everyone’s preferred visit times as there are busy times of the day when a lot of people need support, but we do our utmost to ensure we do this when we can and we always ensure we communicate this to people at the start so they are aware.”

People confirmed this, telling us, “Communication is very good. The office accommodates any changes to visit times if we have any Hospital appointments,” and, “Two staff came from Apex Care to do an assessment. They review it every now and then and if there is any change, say in medical needs, then the plan is updated”

Staff worked collaboratively with relevant professionals to ensure people received consistent and appropriate care, supporting positive outcomes and continuity for people.

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

People and their families were provided with information about Apex Prime Care when they started to use the service. This included a ‘Hello welcome to Apex Prime Care’ document which had photographs and details of the registered manager, care co-ordinators and field supervisors who people were likely to meet or speak to during visits, reviews, spot checks or on the telephone.

All assessments, reviews and decisions were made involving people and their families if appropriate. Accessible information was provided to help people understand their rights, including how to make a complaint or contact external agencies if they were unhappy with their care.

People consistently told us they were happy with their care. Feedback included “They explained how the company works and gave me a folder; I signed a paper care plan. I have one upstairs,” and, “I am very happy and have no complaints.”

People received a copy of the rota and were aware who was coming to visit them. If there were any staff changes, staff contacted the person to let them know. The registered manager told us, “We always try to make sure people know who to expect, sometimes there may be a last minute change due to a vehicle breakdown or staff sickness but on most occasions, we can call to let them know.” People confirmed this, telling us, “They do send me a rota every week. It does sometimes get altered but we know most of the carers who are coming,” and “I know the management staff at the Apex office. I think the management is pretty good and they take things onboard. They sometimes contact me if someone is going to be late or if someone else is coming. Contact is easy and they sort things out.”

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 knew how to raise concerns or make a complaint, and the provider had a complaints procedure in place. People told us they would be comfortable raising any issues with staff or the registered manager and felt confident these would be listened to and addressed.

There were a number of channels for people, relatives and staff to share views and provide feedback. This included care reviews, spot checks and quality assurance reviews. These were questionnaires completed by people to gain ‘the voice of the customer’.

Staff told us, “People and families have an APP, the person receiving support would have to sign to agree and then they or their relative can have access. We involve the person, and/or families on reviews, this is especially important for people who are unable to speak to us to tell us their views on the phone, or we do face to face visits and invite families. We speak to the client, then speak to family, as clients don’t always tell you the whole picture and you may get important information from the family. We usually ask for details of a supporting family member, we have even done zoom calls with the client’s consent, if the family live away to get as much information as possible.

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

The provider had a good relationship with the local GP and community health specialists; this supported people to have access to health services when they needed them.

Staff acted promptly to get people the help they needed liaised with health professionals and completed referrals when required. People had specialised equipment prescribed by occupational therapists to enable them to remain independent, when possible, these included walking aids and equipment to assist people with standing.

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.

Staff had undertaken, equality and diversity training to enable them to identify any forms of discrimination. Staff described how they aimed to deliver care respectfully and inclusively, and policies were in place to support equality and diversity.

Staff told us, “All staff, everyone is treated the same, we are all equal there are no issues.”

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.

At the time of the inspection no one was being supported with end of life care. However, the registered manager and staff told us they had previously worked closely with people, their families and health specialists when required to ensure people were supported if they were receiving end of life care. Do not attempt resuscitation (DNACPR) information was included in people’s care plans to inform staff.