Radfield Home Care Guildford & Woking

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 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 and records were highly personalised with information regarding day-to-day preferences and prompted staff to continually offer choice.

People supported by the service received a personalised care which ensured they were at the centre of their support. Staff were animated when speaking about the people they cared for. They spoke about people’s personalities, interests and things which were important to them before telling us about their care needs. This demonstrated the providers principles of seeing the person first, rather than their care needs, were firmly embedded into practice.

We found numerous examples of where staff had used information they knew about people to personalise the support they offered and ensure people continued to have enjoyable experiences. This included supporting a person who had previously had a keen interest in gardening to celebrate their birthday by having a tailored visit to a large garden run by a national horticultural organisation. Photographs of the visit demonstrated the positive impact the experience had on the person and the enjoyment they gained from continuing to engage in an activity that was important to them.

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 were supported by a consistent staff team who were able to get to know people’s needs, preferences and form positive relationships. Relatives told us this was invaluable to their family members. One relative told us, “It’s normally the same [staff members] every call. If it’s someone new, then they will always be introduced and do some visits with their main carer. They are all super and [family member] enjoys the time they are here.”

Staff told us communication systems were effective in ensuring they were informed of any changes to people’s health or their care needs. Information was shared through the electronic care planning system, handovers and direct messaging from the office. This approach meant staff received information promptly which ensured they were able to continually monitor and respond to any changes.

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

People’s care plans contained information relating to their communication needs. This included guidance for staff on how to effectively support people with making choices and any specific adjustments required due to sensory impairments. Information produced by the service was made available to people in different formats such as large print where this was required.

The provider shared information regarding the running of the service and events being held through a variety of sources. This included the distribution of a quarterly newsletter which provided information on the service, gave an overview of upcoming events, shared good news stories and introduced different staff members and their roles. Articles also included general advice on living well such as promoting maintaining mobility, foot care and the importance of good hydration.

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.

Relatives we spoke with were positive about the communication they received from the service. They told us this had given them confidence in asking for support and felt any concerns they raised would be acted on promptly.

The provider had a complaints policy which detailed how a complaint could be made, timescales for receiving a response and an outline as to how concerns would be reviewed and responded to. The policy also reflected how the service recorded compliments and how these were used to reflect on and embed good practice.

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

The times people preferred their care were discussed and reviewed as part of the assessment process. People and their relatives received a copy of the rota on a weekly basis so were aware of who to expect and at what time. Relatives told us calls were generally on time and that care staff stayed for the full time allocated. One relative told us, “The [staff members] are punctual. There will always be unavoidable hold-ups, but we receive a call when that happens.”

A review of rota information showed staff arrived for people’s care calls in line with the rota the majority of the time. Travel time was planned into staff schedules which staff told us this was important to them. One staff member told us, “Travel time is well planned. It means we don’t have stress because we are not late and don’t have to be rushing clients.”

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 and manager were knowledgeable about the resources available to people including localised support, health care provision and different funding options. We heard from relatives how this knowledge had supported them to ensure their family members could receive the care they wanted whilst remaining at home. The management and staff team demonstrated a drive to ensure people continued to be able to access their local area and feel they belonged in their local community.

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.

The support people received to plan for their end of life care was reflected in compliments received from relatives. One relative message to staff read, “My [family member’s] one wish was to stay in [their] own home, and this was made possible by this amazing group of individuals. I can’t thank them enough.”

People and their families were supported to discuss their wishes regarding the care they wanted to receive, any spiritual needs and to detail any specific requests which were meaningful and important to them. Staff received training in supporting people at the end of their life and links with community health services were in place to ensure people were supported to remain comfortable at this time.