Silverberry Care Kenilworth

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 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 aimed to make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices but sometimes processes were not fully clear on how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People were positive about the care they received and felt that staff met their needs effectively. However, care plans were not always sufficiently detailed to help support staff in ensuring the care they provided was consistently person centred. For example, 1 person had a specific health condition but there was no guidance for staff on the potential negative symptoms this could present and how staff should respond should the person experience these. Medication care plans were also not always specific enough to advise staff how to manage a person’s medicine when they chose not to take it or it could not be given due to other factors. Despite this, staff knew people well and knew to report any changes in their presentation or behaviours to the management team.

One staff member told us knowing people’s personal routines and habits, “Is the keystone to everything, if you really want to do the best for people, these are the things you find out.” Another staff member explained, “You need to know people’s routine to give person centred care. If you don’t know, then how are you going to support them. You need to know what that person’s expectations are.” A third staff member commented, “Understanding their preferences makes me support them better.”

Staff told us that if they felt people needed more time in care calls to ensure their needs were met, they would escalate this to managers for review and consideration. One staff member told us, “If I felt a visit needed to be longer, then I would discuss it with the office staff. We always come to an agreement with the client and ourselves to make it work for everybody.”

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 usually received care from a small and consistent staff team. One person told us, “It's usually 1 of 2 main carers, they are very good to [Name].” Another said, “It’s 1 of a team of carers that comes, gentlemen and ladies.”

One staff member described how they valued the small consistent team approach. They told us, “For me it makes my role clearer and for [Name] it is continuity of care. Consistency improves the care clients get.” Staff worked alongside relatives who wanted to maintain an integral role in supporting and caring for their family member.

The registered manager confirmed how it was important to work with families. They gave an example of this and told us, “It is important because it builds a stronger relationship. [Name of relative] will say ‘Can you help me with this?’ and they guide the care workers, and it is the best way for that visit to work in those circumstances.”

The provider worked with people and other social care professionals to maintain continuity of care when people changed addresses.

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

People’s communication needs were considered at the point of their initial assessment. Each person had a communication care plan that set out how information should be shared with them. People and their family members told us staff communicated with them effectively and they were involved in reviews of people’s care. One relative told us, “We did a care plan at the start, and I have done a review with (Name), and they do ring me from time to time to ask if everything is alright. If I have had to raise an issue, they are very good at dealing with it.”

Where people had difficulties with communication, the registered manager was able to provide examples of the different communication methods they used. This included ‘Makaton’ sign language and picture cards. Some of the staff also spoke other languages so were also able to communicate with people whose first language was not English.

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, and their relatives (where appropriate), were involved in setting up care plans for people detailing their wishes and choices. People, and relatives, could access people’s electronic care plan if they wished and view the notes staff recorded following their care visits. If people needed support or needed to share information urgently, they had access to a 24-hour call line to contact office staff.

Relatives told us how the service worked with them to accommodate the needs of their family members. They also told us if they had any concerns, they felt confident to raise them with the service. One relative commented, “It’s all very flexible really and they are very accommodating if I need to change things.” Another said, “They came out and saw us and did a care plan before they started. It was for every day, but [Name] couldn’t cope so we discussed it and now it’s changed. They ring us and email us to ask if we are alright, quite often in fact.”

Staff described how they worked with relatives, particularly parents of children and younger adults to ensure people received the right care.

The provider had a complaints procedure that people and relatives could access if they needed to. The registered manager told us how they had responded to a complaint raised, demonstrating this had been listened to and acted upon.

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

Care calls were managed to ensure people’s needs were identified and met effectively. People felt supported to access the care and support they needed. Where people needed to access a health professional such as a doctor or district nurse, staff were able to support people to ensure this was arranged.

The registered manager told us how they had worked with a family and their social worker to ensure the person received the ongoing care they needed during a period of change.

Staff told us they would contact people’s GPs or other health professionals where they had concerns about their health and wellbeing. Members of the management team were available 24 hours a day to provide guidance and support in an emergency.

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.

Staff understood the importance of supporting people’s unique and individual needs and were confident to share their ideas and opinions to improve people’s experiences and outcomes. One staff member told us, “I always think how can I make [Name’s] life a little bit better. You want to improve their life as much as you can. I am always looking at the whole picture.” Another member of staff said, “I can go to [registered manager] or [registered provider] and say I don’t think this is working and can I please change it. They are always accommodating as long as you have got a valid reason.”

A senior member of staff told us they maintained flexibility in call scheduling to support people to access healthcare appointments. They gave the example of supporting a person and their relative to attend a healthcare appointment where their first language was not English. They explained, “We will work with [Name] to ensure there is a plan in place to ensure there is a carer available. I always try to make sure their voices are heard.”

The registered manager told us how they worked with families with children and would attend virtual meetings with other agencies, where appropriate, to ensure issues that may impact on them were discussed and resolved.

People were supported to plan for important life changes when appropriate, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

At the time of our inspection the service was not supporting anyone who was receiving end of life care. However, staff had previously cared for people at the end stage of life and were trained and supported to do so.

The registered manager explained how they had previously compiled an advanced care plan for a person who had been end of life. They were aware of the importance of involving people and their family in decisions about this.