EVHM LLP - 25 Alexandra Road

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• 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 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 care plans were written in an individual person-centred way. Each person had tailored documentation to meet their needs and included their preferences about the way support was to be provided. Care plans recorded specific health and emotional needs that were individual to them. Daily records were used to describe people’s day and how they had been. These were less detailed. Some of this was attributed to the new electronic system and this area had been identified by management. Work was underway to make improvements in this area.

People’s relatives told us they were kept informed about changes to people’s needs and involved in decisions about their care and support.A staff member told us, that they were, “Always informed of changes to care plans.” They also said that at handover they sat with the previous staff member to go through the shift and to read through care notes.

The registered manager told us that although people got on well together, they all liked their individual space and chose to eat separately.A staff member told us that care was tailored to people’s individual needs. People were encouraged to do what they could for themselves, and staff stepped in to support, where needed. Although meals were planned weekly by people, if they did not want what had been planned, they could have an alternative.

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.

Staff understood the importance of working closely with professionals to ensure people’s care needs were met. This included access to doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and psychiatry. Health professionals had regular input into people’s care and provided advice and guidance when needed. Staff understood the needs of autistic people and people with a learning disability and worked to ensure typical barriers faced by people were removed or mitigated against. One person had recently had a change to their diagnosis. Staff training was being explored to ensure that staff had the skills and knowledge to meet the person’s needs. People received support from a consistent staff team for continuity. A number of the staff had worked in the service for a long time and knew people very well.

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

People’s individual communication needs had been assessed and recorded within communication support plans. Staff were very clear about how people communicated their individual needs. They knew what gave one person more confidence to speak with people that were not known to them. We observed this in practice. Another person spoke quite quickly and was not always keen to repeat what they had said. Staff had a good understanding of this person and were able to identify the main threads to enable good communication.

Information was provided to people in a way they could understand. In the dining room there was a picture board of the staff team and people liked to check which staff member was on duty each day.

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 told us who they would speak with if they had any concerns or worries. They also knew that they could speak with staff during one-to-one meetings and said that they could also speak with the registered manager. One person liked to meet with the registered manager to talk about how they were feeling. They had recently had a change in diagnosis, and they had concerns with the outcome. The registered manager was exploring these concerns with them.People’s relatives told us they felt comfortable raising any concerns or worries and that they would be confident concerns would be taken seriously. A relative told us, “If we have concerns, we can contact them, we know them all, but we leave them to it.”

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

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support, and treatment they needed when they needed it. A health professional told us, “We rely on staff contacting us when needed and in supporting us in communicating with people. Staff really know the service users and are tuned in to changes in their health. They do this well.” One person was having difficulty getting the support they needed as they had difficulty engaging with professionals. The registered manager was working with a health professional to keep the door open so that when the person was ready to engage in the process this could be arranged.

A staff member told us that, “Everyone is offered enough activities, but they don’t always accept.” They said, “We make the best of every situation. [Person] doesn’t like going out but when they can be persuaded, they always enjoy it.” One person was supported to go to singing classes. They used to go weekly but now chooses to go once a month. The registered manager told us that a staff member who enjoys singing and plays guitar had spent time with them writing lyrics and music for a song.

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 treated people as individuals and made reasonable adjustments for those that needed them. Staff understood how the Equality Act 2010 applied to their role. A staff member told us one person did not like leaving the service particularly during the winter months. When health appointments were needed, they tried to persuade the person to attend but if this failed, they made arrangements for health professionals to come to the service. This ensured the person received all health appointments in line with their assessed needs.

Staff also told us they made sure that increased activities were offered during the summer months to encourage the person to leave the service.

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.

No one required end of life care at the time of this assessment. However, staff had provided support with end-of-life care. Staff worked with people, family and professionals to ensure the person’s care was appropriate and in line with their wishes. The registered manager told us that as a company they were devising a “Checklist/guide of all the things that need to be done following a death as at the time you are grieving and unable to think about all that needs to be done.” Staff training had been arranged with the hospice at home team for staff. Staff told us they found this training very helpful.

The registered manager said one person chose not to have an end-of-life plan as the felt they were too young to have one. Staff were at the early stages of starting a plan for another person.