Advance Essex and East London

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. However, a person’s care plan and risk assessment was not always in line with care plan guidance. There was a lack of clear guidance and key information in the care plans to enable staff to deliver the right and consistent support the person needed. This meant we could not be assured staff had all information required to manage people’s risks or to respond to these in a safe and effective way. Following the assessment, the support manager updated the person’s care plan and risk assessment.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. However, a person’s care plan and risk assessment was not always in line with care plan guidance. There was a lack of clear guidance and key information in the care plans to enable staff to deliver the right and consistent support the person needed. This meant we could not be assured staff had all information required to manage people’s risks or to respond to these in a safe and effective way. Following the assessment, the support manager updated the person’s care plan and risk assessment.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. A person we spoke with told us they were supported to have choice and control over their own care and were encouraged to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing as much as possible. A person told us, “They always ask me about where I would like to go or what I want to eat.”

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The support manager had regular contact with people and their relatives to seek feedback. However, there was no formal record of these discussions. The support manager told us no formal concerns or complaints had been raised either by people using the service or those acting on their behalf, the local authority or others since the domiciliary care service became operational. This concurred with information held by the Care Quality Commission.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff felt well supported working at the service and found it to be a positive experience for them. Feedback from staff was positive regarding the support they received from the support manager. A member of staff told us, “I really enjoy working for this company. The support manager is very approachable, and I don’t have to think twice before sharing any feedback.” The support manager had a number of systems in place to support and engage with staff. There was an open-door policy in the office and staff could access the office at any time to speak to management.