Acer Healthcare Northwood & Ruislip

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.

People received person-centred care which met their needs. People and their relatives told us the service was good and their individual needs were met. The agency was flexible and responsive when they requested changes. Their comments included, “It is a very flexible service”, “We always get the care we want” and “They accommodate our requests for change.”

Care plans were comprehensive and gave staff the information they needed about individual people and their needs. Staff told us they worked with the same people and became familiar with them and their routines.

People were supported by familiar staff who knew them well. People were able to access the care and support they needed both at the service and in the community. Staff, people using the service and relatives had access to out of hours support when they needed this. The provider had developed personalised contingency plans for each person. These outlined how staff should respond to different emergency scenarios or situations that impacted on care delivery, such as adverse weather or transport problems.

People had the information they needed about the service and their care. The provider supplied people with a range of guidance and key procedures. People and their relatives had access to the electronic care planning system. This helped them see what was written about them and to track when care was provided.

The provider had recorded people’s preferred communication methods within care plans. This helped to ensure they were always able to share information appropriately.

The provider had assessed people’s communication and any sensory needs. They created care plans to outline any problems people may have accessing or understanding information. When people spoke a different language, the provider produced copies of their care documents in the person’s language. They also created easy to read and large print versions if people needed these.

Relatives told us care workers stayed in touch and contacted them if they needed to share information. A relative explained, “I have every confidence in them.” Relatives also told us managers and staff were easy to get hold of, and office phones were answered in a timely way.

The provider listened to and involved people using the service and their relatives. They met with them to discuss care assessments and reviews. People’s views were incorporated into care plans. Managers regularly visited and telephoned them for feedback about their experiences. The provider asked all stakeholders to complete satisfaction surveys about their experiences. They analysed feedback and made changes to the service when they identified improvements were needed.

There was a suitable complaints procedure. People and their relatives understood this and felt confident raising concerns. Relatives told us concerns were dealt with to their satisfaction. Their comments included, “When I raised a concern there was a positive outcome” and “They dealt with my complaint tactfully and there was a good response.”

The provider supported people to access services they needed and to overcome barriers to this. For example, supporting people to attend medical appointments, places of worship and community activities. Relatives told us care workers assisted people with shopping and household tasks as well as helping them stay active and spend time outside. Comments from relatives included, “Care workers take [person] shopping and help with socialising” and “It is in the care plan to take [person] for short walks each visit. This helps keep [person] active and [they] enjoy it.” A care worker commented, “I regularly take [the person I care for] to the garden centre and café. We go shopping together and I take [them] to appointments.”

Staff supported people to have equity in experience and outcomes. They undertook training about equality and human rights. Support plans included information about people’s personal history, interests and goals.

Staff assessed and planned for people’s diverse needs. People experienced good care and support because staff actively removed barriers people faced.

The provider supported people to plan for the future. People set personal objectives and staff supported them to work towards these. The provider supported people with care at the end of their lives when needed. They worked with external professionals to ensure people received personalised care and support at this time.