Austin Place

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 as 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 and they did not always work in partnership with people, to decide how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Although people’s care plans were generally comprehensive, we identified some areas where additional detail was needed to ensure staff had clear guidance on the care to be provided. This included information relating to 1 person’s medical condition, which impacted their personal care routine, and another person with a respiratory condition. We raised this with the registered manager who said they would address this. When we spoke with staff however, they were aware of the specifics around these people. One staff member told us, “At this moment with the residents we have there are no problems with covering needs.”

We found there was minimal impact to people. Despite these gaps, care plans contained sufficient information about people’s needs, their preferences for care, and the signs staff should monitor for that may indicate a change or deterioration in their condition.

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 receiving a care package were independent and were able to access the local area without staff support. Although the registered manager told us, “We can offer shopping calls to people and we have supported people with going on the bus to the town or to hospital appointments.”

Within the extra care housing facility there was a café, lounge and hairdressers which people could use. We saw people gathering for morning coffee and noticed information about an afternoon tea as well as information on the local bus routes.

The registered manager understood that people preferred continuity where possible. Some people told us, “I see the same faces”, “I usually see the same person” and “I like having the same person. Continuity is very important to me.” Although we did hear from some people that their request for the same staff member all of the time had not always been met. We fed this back to the registered manager who told us, “We always introduce a new carer to a person, so they know who will be coming. It may not always be the same staff but (as it’s a small team) it’s only ever going to be one of 3 or 4 (staff).”

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

Each person was given a home care information sheet and contract on commencement of a care package. This provided relevant information for the person together with the details of the care service’s complaints policy should they require it.

At present no one required information in a different format, but the provider was able to meet people’s individual needs such as large print, other languages or braille.

People were provided with information on who they could contact both in and out of office hours. This meant there would always be someone available to assist a person. One person told us, “We can call reception in office hours, or we have a pendant to use outside of office hours.”

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.

The service sent out questionnaires to people annually and staff every 6 months. This helped to ensure that views were sought on the service provided. People could raise a complaint which would be dealt with through the provider’s complaint policy. The last complaint the service had received was in 2021. However there had been recent contact with the family member of 1 person and we suggested to the registered manager that they log this as a concern and as such keep all the paperwork together for easy reference.

People said they would raise any concerns they had, with 1 person telling us, “I would say something if I was unhappy. I would certainly raise it.” A staff member told us, “I would speak to them and then my manager depending on the concern. We always resolve issues.”

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

Everyone receiving the regulated activity was independent and therefore it was rare that the registered manager or staff were required to arrange healthcare input or external support or treatment for them. However, they had recently liaised with the hospital rehabilitation team over the care package for 1 person, ensuring that they continued with the input that had commenced by the external team.

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 received training in equality and diversity, together with more specialised training such as LGBTQ+ awareness and the Oliver McGowan training on learning disability and autism. This helped to ensure staff had a better understanding of people’s individual identities, needs and experiences. As a result, staff were more likely to support in a way that upheld their rights. In addition, the location had a resident inclusion group which was a where people could meet and have a voice in how the service was run.

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 registered manager always asked people about any advanced care plans they may have in place. This helped staff understand people’s wishes for future care.

The registered manager told us, “We would provide end of life if we could meet the person’s needs. At that stage we would liaise with the palliative care team.” They added, “We looked after 1 person who was on end of life until they went into hospital and then increased the care calls to their partner, supporting them through their grief.” A staff member told us they had received end of life training and, “It has given me the right skills and I have used it.”