Pinnacle Care Professionals Ltd

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

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 outstanding. This meant services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care..

This service scored 89 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager and team demonstrated outstanding knowledge and practice in delivering truly person centred care. 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.

Staff had an exceptional understanding of people’s specific likes and dislikes, wishes, preferences and care needs, they knew them as people not just about the tasks they performed when supporting the person. A relative told us, “The carers and [registered manager] are completely family centred and person centred. I could not have anything better. They are outstanding”.

One staff member said, “Relationships are key, I have established relationships with people. I think it’s being aware of where people are [emotionally and personally], and the information is very clear [in the care plan] for what we do need to know.”

We saw how care plans were coproduced with people, relatives and professionals and the registered manager gave us examples which underlined the value they placed on person centred planning. They described a change in needs for a person supported and how this was being addressed with the person, “We have raised with [name] we are getting to a point where there are signs of deterioration in mobility, and we have made plans for the next stage together. I have emailed [name] the plans. We had a meeting and spoke to [name] as care will be very different. We asked, ‘how do you want that to go, this is one option this is another’, we will get a training plan in place to make sure when the new care plan comes into place staff are trained before the change happens. But before that first the customer or family will approve [the care plan].” They also told us about rethinking what person centred care was for different people, “I really had to rethink what good care means, it’s not always about more time, sometimes it’s utilising time better and what you can do beside it. For [name] it was about the care providing a different type of stability it’s about mental and emotional stability for them.”

This person led approach showed how staff’s deep understanding of people’s needs, communication, fears and wishes enabled them to champion individualised care effectively and consistently.

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.

Throughout the assessment, it was clear that care provision was integrated, continuous and centred around what mattered most to each person. Staff communicated effectively with external partners. People were effectively supported to access a variety of health care professionals for support as well as everyday appointments for example, going to the hairdressers.

The team demonstrated a deep commitment to delivering coordinated, proactive and empowering care which enhanced outcome and quality of life for the people using the service.

The provider was exceptional at developing appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Their drive to overcome communication barriers and ensure people had access to information in a format or was delivered in a way individuals understood was demonstrated clearly through information in care plans as well as discussion with staff. We saw numerous examples of accessible information in different formats and the care coordinator told us how they support people to understand information for example, their rota. They described using email, larger print, pictures, communication boards as well as taking a paper copy to a person’s home and reading through it with them. The team also understood the impact a person’s emotional wellbeing could have on their understanding of information and choosing times to speak with people when they were more likely to be able to process information effectively.

The provider also applied this ethos to how they provided information and supported communication in the staff team including providing coloured overlays for staff with dyslexia, allowing staff additional time to record daily notes effectively, and providing face to face training when staff struggled with online training.

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.

Staff took time to understand each person’s unique communication methods, including facial expressions and individual communication aids. They also invested in learning about people’s life histories and preferences which enabled them to interpret more subtle cues and respond to people’s needs.

The registered manager regularly sought feedback from people, relatives and external professionals and people told us they knew how to make a complaint and felt confident any issues would be promptly addressed by the registered manager. One person said, “Any issues, and there aren’t, then I would talk to [registered manager]. [Registered manager] is very kind and would listen and get it sorted for me”. The most recent feedback from people indicated people consistently felt listened to and one person specifically reported always receiving the care they needed. However, the registered manager had reflected on the way they collected feedback which was a double-sided printed survey and noted that some questions were left unanswered as people had not seen them on the reverse side. They said, “This resulted in missing data. Moving to single-sided paper surveys in 2026 would help address this issue [and support engagement]”. The registered manager also spoke with us about the positive impact of input from external professionals and said, “While professionals may not perceive themselves as contributing to strategic service development, their case-specific input and shared learning often informs wider practice improvements.”

Care plans evidenced how people and relatives were involved in the development of their care addressing any changes as they occurred as well as forward planning for when things would change, for example after scheduled surgery.

Staff used all available information whether, verbal, non‑verbal or from relatives to ensure people’s care remained consistent, personalised and incorporated what mattered most to them. This approach ensured people were active partners in shaping their own care and support and those important to them and for their ongoing care and support were also effectively engaged to create more robust, person focussed care.

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

The registered manager and staff gave examples of how they had supported people to access care and services which they may not otherwise had the opportunity to do. For example, staff felt one person living with a relative who provided their care needed some additional equipment to support with mobility and comfort. To reduce the pressure on the family carer the registered manager undertook this to ensure the person could get the correct equipment to support them.

People told us how staff had supported them to access appointments, gain emergency care and additional support hours through the local authority and this had often been outside of their scheduled care visits. One person told us, “One carer recently went and picked up a sample bottle off their own back and they have picked up the prescription too – it’s a really personal service.” Another person told us, “I needed a doctor and [registered manager] called 111 and they did a triage and then I had a visit from the doctor and they [staff] got the medication for me.”

The provider demonstrated an outstanding commitment to equity in access. By anticipating barriers, being flexible with support and seeking creative solutions, staff ensured every person could receive the care and support they needed to thrive.

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 registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of issues that presented barriers to people accessing the care, support and treatment they required. This included practical barriers, such as travel and distance, but also invisible barriers, for example anxiety.

The registered manager used case studies to evidence progress and identify successful ways of working. They gave an example of a person who had experienced poor care with their previous provider which had caused them significant distress, anxiety and created a feeling of distrust of care providers. The registered manager told us what they did to address this and enable them to provide care for the person, “As a service we prioritised continuity of care, relationship building and clinical oversight through engagement of a specialist nurse.”

The registered manager monitored outcomes closely to identify any emerging inequalities and acted quickly to address them. Staff shared learning across the team to ensure successful approaches were applied consistently, and people benefited from support that was responsive to their individual needs.

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 provider demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring that people received exceptional, compassionate care at the end of their lives.

People’s initial care assessment and care planning formed part of their future planning, and we saw where people wished to explore future and end of life preferences, these open discussions were encouraged as well as coordination with GPs and other healthcare professionals to develop plans that reflected people’s wishes. This had enabled several people to remain at home, in accordance with their stated preferences, during the later stages of life.

During the assessment, we found the registered manager and staff approached these conversations sensitively and respectfully and ensured that people’s wishes were clearly documented, and staff used their knowledge of people’s preferences and personal histories to capture what mattered most to them. Staff also told us there was recognition of how difficult it can be for them when people they have developed a relationship with pass away and the support they were offered.

We saw additional enhanced, university led training was provided for staff supporting people living with progressive conditions. This ensured staff understood disease progression and people’s future care needs. Learning was shared across the service to help staff recognise deterioration, anticipate changing needs and plan adjustments in people’s support before a potential crisis might arise. For example, a person living with a progressive health condition was using a mobility aid to support them to stand. Rather than waiting for their needs to change, the team had already held multiple planning meetings with the individual, family and professionals to discuss future stages of the condition, understand the person's wishes, develop future care plans, identify training needs and engage relevant professionals in advance. This ensured the person’s care remained in line with their preferences as their support needs changed.

We saw the appropriate documentation was in place where people had made advanced decision, for example D.N.A.C.P.R. (do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

As a result, people had plans in place that reflected their wishes and values, protected their rights and ensured their care would remain aligned with their wishes during times of uncertainty.