Altogether Care - Care At Home Limited Beaminster

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.

People's care plans reflected their physical, emotional and social needs, including needs relating to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Information about people's preferences, communication needs, cultural backgrounds and personal circumstances helped staff provide care that was tailored to the individual.

People were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support. Staff encouraged people to express their views and preferences and supported them to make informed decisions about their care and treatment. Where appropriate, relatives and representatives were involved to help ensure people's wishes were understood and respected. A health and social care professional told us, “Altogether Care demonstrates a good understanding of the individuals they support and works proactively with partners to deliver person-centred care.”

Staff and managers demonstrated a commitment to delivering person-centred care that respected people's choices, preferences and individuality. They understood people's backgrounds, communication needs and support requirements and used this knowledge to provide care that met people's changing needs. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed regularly to help ensure support remained appropriate, responsive and up to date. People and their relatives confirmed they were involved in care reviews and felt listened to.
 

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.

People told us they were able to access the healthcare support they needed, including GPs and community nursing services. Relatives were confident staff would recognise when additional medical support was required and take appropriate action. The provider used an electronic care planning system to maintain accurate records and support continuity of care. Records showed effective involvement from a range of health and social care professionals, including occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Information was shared through handovers, meetings and electronic communication systems to help ensure care remained coordinated.

Health and social care professionals spoke positively about the provider's approach to partnership working. One professional told us, “They aim to maintain continuity by minimising the number of carers involved and ensuring appropriate oversight from senior staff.” They also said, “They appear to be able to adapt to new situations given to them at short notice and implemented fast.

Staff understood the importance of working collaboratively with other professionals to support people's health and wellbeing. One staff member told us, “If I notice any changes in someone’s health or wellbeing, I communicate this promptly to the relevant healthcare professional and my management team.” This helped ensure people received timely support when their needs changed.
 

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

Information about how a person communicated was detailed in care and support plans. We received positive feedback about the way the service communicated with people, staff and external professionals. We were assured this service met the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS is a law to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss receive information they can easily read or understand.
 

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 told us they felt involved in their care and support, either working with the service or their individual member of staff. Staff and leaders actively sought feedback to make continuous improvements, based on what was important to people. Feedback was acted on and embedded into daily practice. The provider offered opportunities for people and relatives to feedback about their experience of the service and the support they received. This included reviews, courtesy calls, and visits to people. We also saw people were asked for feedback using questionnaires. The provider had a Complaints, Suggestions and Compliments policy in place that was available in accessible formats. Leaders ensured they captured any concerns raised and showed action had been taken to address them and lessons learned to improve the service.
 

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

The provider and the staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage different groups of people in accessing care, treatment, and support, whether this was from the wider society, within organisational processes and culture, or from individuals.

People received care and support, which was accessible and considered their individual needs. Policies and procedures underpinned all safe working practices, and this was supported by training and ongoing competency monitoring. Each policy and procedure had given a consideration to equity, accessibility and safety.
 

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.

The provider ensured their staff received training relevant to the care needs of the people they supported. This helped ensure people were supported by staff who were skilled and able to support them to achieve their required care outcomes. Staff received training in equality and diversity awareness.

The provider ensured staff received awareness training in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equalities Act 2010, the Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2005. This helped ensure staff understood how to support and enable equity in people’s experiences and outcomes
 

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.

People were supported to make informed choices about their needs and plan their future care where this was relevant to them. The provider had an end-of-life policy and procedure which would guide staff in the event of this being necessary. The provider recognised not everyone wanted to discuss these matters with them but if people wanted to, they were invited to discuss how they wanted to be supported when their health deteriorated. This included where they wanted to be cared for, what level of treatment they were happy with and what they would like to happen in an emergency. Care plans contained information about people's significant relationships and who they wanted to be contacted if they were unwell or in the event of an emergency.

If people had a DNAR agreement (Do Not attempt resuscitation) it was recorded in their care records. Staff had guidance on where the agreement was in case, they needed to share this with any emergency medical staff.