GoodOaks Homecare - Sussex South

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 newly 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 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 told us that the service was person-centred and responsive to their needs.A person said, “They have spoken to me about how I would like to be looked after.” Staff understood what person-centred care was. A staff member said, “I always deliver person centred care as everyone is individual. They have individual preferences and beliefs. Such as ensuring certain types of food are given for certain religious beliefs.” Leaders adapted care call times to suit people’s routines and personal preferences.A relative said, “Visits are at the time of day we asked for. Visits are around meals times, as [person] wasn’t eating and drinking.”

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.

Where needed, the provider supported people to access care and treatment they needed in a timely way. External professionals spoke highly of the level of communication they received from leaders and staff which promoted good continuation of care for people. A partner said, “[Leader] can identify risks that may occur and I have seen her share information with the staff. I have seen [leader] raise safeguards. I have seen emails she has sent to the GP raising her concerns. [Leader] has also in a timely manner raised concerns with me.”

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

People were provided with the information they needed about their care and support. They and their representatives had access to their care plans. Staff supported people when their needs changed. For example, a person told us how a decline in their eyesight had affected their ability to independently manage a specific health care task. They said, “I am at the moment struggling to see properly. My carer is phoning [clinical team] to see if information can be in larger print because I am struggling to read it.” The provider was aware of accessible information standards (AIS). AIS provides the legal framework to support people with their communication needs. Care plans detailed how people communicated and how best to support people to engage. Staff were skilled and patient when supporting people and took time to understand how best to communicate with them. A staff member said, “I would use different techniques with non-verbal clients such as touch or pointing, nodding or shaking their head.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. However, it was not always clear how feedback was used to drive improvements.

The provider had conducted quality assurance surveys with people and their representatives each year. However, previous leadership had not implemented any actions in response to feedback received. The provider told us that after previous leaders left the service, their immediate focus was to provide safe and effective care to people. They said, “The business is now in a more stable position to review the findings and implement any identified improvements. The information gathered had been reviewed and considered as part of ongoing governance processes and will be used to inform future service development and improvements.” However, this will take time to fully embed in practice.

People and relatives had information about how to contact the office or make a complaint should the need arise. They said they would speak up if they had any concerns and were confident they would be listened to. Where concerns had been raised, leaders took appropriate actions.

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

People had free choice and access to any internal and external service provisions they required.Referrals were made to the relevant health and social care professional to meet people’s needs. Processes were in place to ensure people did not experience any barriers in accessing these services. Feedback from people, relatives, staff and partners confirmed this.

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.

People and relatives were positive about the care and support they were receiving. A person said, “I feel I am well looked after. I really can’t complain.” People and relatives told us they were in control of their care. A relative said, “I very much feel in control of her care. The service listens to my wishes too. I only have to send a text to [leader] to say if I am unhappy about something and she sorts things out straight away.” Care plans contained information about how people’s social, cultural and spiritual needs should be met. Training records showed staff received equality and diversity training. This helped them to recognise, promote and protect people's protected characteristics, and understand discriminatory behaviours and practices.

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 service was not supporting anyone at the end of their lives at the time of assessment. However, where people had discussed their end-of-life care wishes, this was recorded in their care plans. This included information on specific wishes people may have as to the actions staff should take should resuscitation be required. Staff had received end of life care training. Leaders had systems in place to ensure people had access to the right care and treatment at the time they needed it.