Aspirations Staffordshire

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 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 strengths were promoted through person-centred care planning, and they were actively involved in shaping their own care.

People were involved in their own care planning; they could tell staff how they wanted their support through delivering their own training to staff about their care needs and how to meet these. Some people were also involved in selecting their own support staff to ensure they were compatible and suitable for the person.

Staff told us they knew what person-centred care was described how this looked in practice. One staff member told us, “Each person has different needs, and I can say each person has their needs met in a person-centred way. All people are put at the centre of their care.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local community, which supported joined‑up, flexible care that promoted choice and continuity.

People we observed appeared relaxed and comfortable with the staff supporting them in their own homes, which indicated positive and trusting relationships. Relatives’ views about staff consistency were mixed. While people were usually supported by regular staff, agency staff were sometimes used. The provider acknowledged this and had ongoing recruitment in place to reduce reliance on agency staff and further improve continuity of care.

The provider worked proactively with the local community to increase people’s independence. This included building relationships with local shops and raising awareness of the needs of people supported by the service, which helped people to participate more fully in their community.

The provider had also invested time in building positive relationships with neighbours to support people’s inclusion and integration. Professionals commented positively on this work and the effort made to engage others. One professional told us, “A lot of work has been done which was good; they involved everyone in that.”

This demonstrated the provider’s commitment to person‑centred, inclusive care that supported people to feel safe, valued, and connected within their community, while continuing to work towards improving consistency in staffing.

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

Information was provided to all people in formats they could easily understand, including pictures and personalised communication methods. Staff knew how to communicate with people in meaningful ways and learned each person’s individual communication style. For example, 1 person used their own unique form of sign language, which was documented in their care records for staff to refer to.

Staff knew how to communicate with people, and 1 staff member told us, “We provide easy read documents, and we communicate with people in a way that is clear and comfortable for the individual.”

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 were supported to share their own expertise by delivering training to staff where possible. This helped staff understand the person’s needs and preferences from their own perspective.

The provider created opportunities for people and relatives as well as staff to share their feedback, including meetings and reviews with people and relatives.

Staff had meetings as a group and individual supervisions to support them. Staff told us they felt listened to and valued. One staff member commented, “My managers often praise my work. This also is discussed / recorded in my appraisal and supervisions.” Another staff member told us, “I do feel valued and appreciated by people, their families, management and colleagues.”

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

People were supported by a Multi-Disciplinary Team of professionals which meant they were supported by the right professionals to access the right support when needed.

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.

Care records included clear guidance for staff about people’s individual needs, supporting staff to provide equitable care. This meant people received care that was suitable to meet their needs, and relevant professionals were involved in supporting with the 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’s goals and aspirations were included in their care planning and staff supported people to achieve them.

We saw steps being taken to support people to achieve their own goals as well as regular reviews to update on people’s progress towards their goals.