Choices Care Ltd (Birmingham)

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 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 reported that staff knew them well, they responded to their care needs and knew what was important to them.

People and their loved ones were actively involved in developing and reviewing care records. This ensured the information reflected what mattered most to each person and provided staff with clear, detailed guidance on routines for every visit, including clearly defined roles for each member of staff.

People described how responsive the service was to their needs. We noted a number of examples where calls needed to be changed to accommodate people’s medical appointments and the service was able to adapt to these requests. A relative described how their loved one enjoyed a particular item of food and due to poor weather conditions, they were unable to go out and purchase it for them. They told us, “We spoke with the carers who spoke to their manager. They contacted 1 of the managers in another city and they managed to get the food for us.” Another relative told us, “If something is running low in the fridge for example, they always tell me, which I really appreciate.”

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 service worked with other providers to ensure care and treatment was delivered in a way that met people’s needs. This included ensuring people were supported by a consistent group of staff who knew them well. The registered manager explained that if a person required the support of 2 care staff during each call, “We try to have 6-8 carers constantly going in. That means they can cover calls and each other’s leave; people will always have 1 carer they know supporting them. They will always have experienced staff.” People and their loved ones confirmed this was their experience.

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

Information was available to people in a variety of formats to meet their own needs, including care plans being written in their own language. A relative spoke positively of the impact of having staff who were able to communicate with their loved one in their own language and being able to see a copy of a care record in a format they understood. They told us, “Communication is so important – [person] is always laughing when care staff are with them.”

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’s views of the service were actively sought. A complaints process was in place; however, people told us they had not needed to make a formal complaint, and any minor concerns were addressed promptly and to their satisfaction.

The service was in receipt of a variety of compliments from people who used the service.

People confirmed their care was regularly reviewed and their care plans updated. One relative told us, “They have recently made changes to the care plan and put a new copy in [person’s] home and told us about it.”

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

People were supported to access care, treatment and support where required.

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.

Management and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage different groups of people who used their services and also the staff who supported them.

The registered manager provided examples of training materials developed in multiple languages to support staff whose first language was not English. This included a ‘beginner’s guide’ for staff new to the United Kingdom. There was a clear emphasis on ensuring staff were supported not only through training, but also in understanding cultural expectations and the social needs of the people they supported.

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.

People were given the opportunity to discuss their plans for any future changes in their care and make informed decisions. The registered manager said, “We do have end of life care plans, but people don’t always want to discuss it. We try to be respectful and check who they want to be contacted.”