E2K Care

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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.

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. Whilst care plans required some more detail on managing risks, they did show what was important to people, and we received feedback which described a person-centred service. A relative told us, “Mainly we get the same carers, and they have got to know [person] very well. They are very adaptable and flexible. If my [relative] has a hospital appointment, they will come earlier or later, sometimes at very short notice. They have never declined.”

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. The service worked well with other health and care professionals when sharing responsibility for providing care. A professional who works with the service told us, “I can honestly say that I trust E2K, to care for my client appropriately, respectfully and with true care given. If there are ever any concerns for my client I am contacted immediately.” A person’s relative said, “[E2K Care] have a booklet which details [person’s] care needs. [Person] has recently come out of hospital and has difficulty standing. In response they have decided to hoist her more and call in the district nurse more often. They discuss it with me and [person]. They are very much on the ball.”

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Information was communicated to people in an accessible way, as staff knew people well and their communication needs. A staff member told us, if people use hearing aids, “We remind them, and check the batteries are still working.” If people needed aids such as glasses, this was recorded in their care plan to guide staff on how to provide support in this area.

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. The registered manager completed regular care visits and told us this meant any issues were usually informally identified and addressed when visiting people’s homes. This was confirmed by people we spoke with. A person’s relative said, “If I was unhappy about anything I would talk to [registered manager] or one of the carers. If we want something done, we tell [registered manager].” A formal complaints policy was also in place, and we saw the service took action to provide a clear response to concerns raised. The service had also received a number of compliments, such as, ‘Thank you to you and your team for everything you did for mum’ and, ‘[Person] always talked about you and how wonderful you were…she told me once you are more like family to her than a carer.’

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. There was an on-call system, to ensure there was always someone available outside of business hours in case of an emergency. A professional who works with the service told us, “If I need to contact E2K, the manager or assistant manager are always extremely easy to contact, either by email or phone.” We saw during our site visit people’s relatives call to say a person was returning from hospital, and the registered manager quickly organise a care visit. One relative told us, “[E2K Care] are flexible and accommodating. For example, when [person] had to go to hospital recently, they worked around [person’s] appointment. Once when [person] rang to say that [they] were not feeling well, the girls (staff) got there before me.”

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. For example, staff sought to identify social activities which could be of interest to people in the community, such as a local dementia café, to facilitate opportunities for people to meet others and reduce the risk of social isolation.

People were not always 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 registered manager told us they worked in partnership with external professionals such as the hospice when people were actively at the end of their life. However, we recommended the registered manager develop their own care plans about how people would like to be looked after holistically when very unwell, before reaching a stage requiring external intervention. Leaders were open to our feedback. Staff received training in this area. A staff member said, “We all do the training for end-of-life care, and we are always offered counselling if we needed it. [Management] are always on the end of the phone as they know the client (person) as well, you can talk to management.”