Balby Care and Home Services 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 – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. People’s care plans and risk assessments did not always fully reflect a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social needs. More detail around these areas of care were required to ensure people’s care documentation was person centred and comprehensive. We received mixed feedback from people and relatives around their involvement in the care planning and review process, some people and relatives told us they had not been involved in reviews, whilst other people said they had received visits from leaders to discuss their care records.At the time of the inspection, the service was transitioning care systems, which meant care plans were in the process of being updated. Leaders were reflective and acknowledged the areas of improvement required. They provided assurance that they had plans in place to ensure people’s care plans were fully reflective of their needs. This included the recent employment of administration staff, who’s role would include updating care plans and carrying out reviews of people’s needs.

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. The director of the service told us their ethos was to ensure people received the same care from the same staff consistently. This enabled people to receive care from staff who knew them well. One person told us, “[Staff] seem to rotate around, but mainly speaking I get the same ones. I always ask who is coming, 99 per cent of the time I know who is coming.” One relative told us, “[Family member] has two carers twice a week and has got to know them. I know exactly who is coming.” Staff received additional training specific to the needs of the people they supported. This included Dementia Awareness, and Autism and Learning Disabilities.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People told us they felt the staff understood them and were supportive in adapting information to meet people’s needs. One relative told us, “Yes, [staff] understand. My [family member] is non-verbal but can make it known what they want to staff.” For one person who did not speak English as their first language, staff supported their understanding of care tasks by using a translating app. The registered manager told us, “This approach works well for the person and relative. We have a good communication system in place with them to pass on information, such as sending texts which the relative can then translate.”

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 relatives were contacted regularly to gather their views on care. People told us they knew how to raise a complaint about the service. One person commented, “I know to phone the office. I have never made a complaint.” However, another person commented, “When I have complained it’s okay for a while and then it goes back to the way it was.” At the time of the assessment, a relative had raised concerns to the registered manager. These were dealt with in an appropriate manor and changes were made to the persons care and support as a result.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service had an ‘on-call’ system in place, to ensure any concerns raised were suitably addressed, even out of hours. People told us they had the relevant contact details and knew how to contact the service. One person commented, “I have their number, and they have always answered the phone.” A relative also told us, “Yes. I have their phone number and email address. I have never had to phone out of hours, but aware it is there.”

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. Policies on Equality and Diversity were up to date and available to staff. Staff had received training on the Equality Act and Human Rights legislation. Staff members were knowledgeable on how they should ensure people could receive the same quality of care from 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. Information on ‘Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’ were kept in people’s homes and could be presented to professionals promptly in an emergency.