Accolade Support and Care 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 79 (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 received responsive care and support that met their needs and reflected their preferences. Information was recorded on people’s interests and preferences, and staff signed a declaration to evidence they had read a person’s care plan before they began providing support to them.

Staff were encouraged to keep accurate and reflective daily logs of their visits and to raise any changes in people’s needs or care as soon as possible to allow care plans to be adapted and updated accordingly. We saw that with the person’s consent; their relatives could also access their care planning to stay part of their family members day to day care journey. One health and social care assistant told us, “Most carer notes are not as detailed as I would like, but Accolade notes are of a consistent quality.”

We saw some areas where care plans could be improved further to include more information around meeting people’s needs holistically and not just the primary needs being supported by the service. For example, with one person who had a moderate learning disability need and another person who at times became increasingly anxious did not have much information recorded about their experiences in relation to this, or how staff could support with these specific 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.

Care and support was planned and organised with people in a way that encouraged a mutually respectful partnership. The provider had a robust system in place for people when they joined the service in which the staff member who completed the initial care assessment would then support the onboarding process by having support staff shadowing. This provided reassurance to the person and set a consistent approach to their care delivery. One staff member told us, “We always shadow with someone from the office first, so the manager will introduce us and explain everything. We have care plans and it is very easy. There is always enough information, and we have to read this before we go in, and this is checked.”

There was continuity in people’s care and treatment, as the service worked with people and other community partners involved in their care, in a joined-up way. One health and social care professional told us, “Any transitions are managed with great care. They are never undertaken hastily and are always handled in a considered and pragmatic manner.”

The provider was exceptional at developing appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People's communication needs had been established at the point of assessment and were recorded clearly in their care plans. We saw that adjustments were made where needed to meet any identified needs people had and to ensure information was provided in suitable formats. We saw one person’s care plan detailed how they found it easier to ‘read normal sized font on yellow paper, or black text highlighted in yellow.’ This had been recognised by the staff team to ensure this person was not prevented from effectively being able to access information.

People and their relatives told us the staff approach took into account people’s communications needs. Comments included, “No problem with communication. Staff chat with [relative] when helping them and a staff member will sit and chat with them when I go out.” and “Staff are kind and chat with [relative] and make them laugh.”

Staff understood how to promote good communication for people and gave examples of how they supported specific communication styles. Staff told us, “I do this by tailoring communication to the client’s needs so to ensure understanding. Some people might need us to talk louder, slower, use of body language, for example to convey what you are communicating.” and “I have someone who has a very different communication style. They have had a lot of surgery which has affected their speech so you may not hear what they are saying. New staff will pick this up from their care plan and shadowing and they will write on the person’s phone.”

The provider was dedicated to support and enhance people’s experience in accessing and understanding information. One staff member had developed a keen interest in the area of dementia and had completed specialist dementia interpreter training programme. This had enabled them to better support people using the service and the wider staff team. They spoke passionately about this and how their training gave a deeper insight in understanding communication for people with dementia and informed care practices to create better outcomes for people.

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.

Managers and staff told us they had received lots of positive feedback, as well as during care plan reviews. We saw evidence of compliments and thank you cards recorded which praised the staff team for care given. We saw that people had the opportunity to provide formal feedback through the annual survey. The last feedback survey had taken place in November 2025 and indicated overall satisfaction with the service and care provided. There were some comments relating to visit times which the registered manager said were reviewed and responded to.

Information was shared with people and their relatives to ensure they understood the process of raising any concerns and had the appropriate contact information available should they need to do this. People told us they felt confident to speak with the registered manager if required saying, “I haven’t made a complaint but, if necessary, would feel comfortable speaking with [staff]. [Staff member] have called to ask how everything was going or if anything is needed doing differently” and “I have never made a complaint but would speak with [staff member] who is very approachable and easy to speak with.”

We saw that there was a process for managing and responding to concerns and one complaint we reviewed had been clearly documented and followed appropriate procedures. This was the only concern that had been received in the last 12 months. The registered manager told us complaints were a learning opportunity. They said, “Any concerns we are on it, but we offer people to raise as a formal complaint, and we support them through this process but a lot they just want to make us aware. We look at what we can take from this.”

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

The service ensured it was accessible and available for people and staff were able to contact out of hours management support if they had any questions about a person’s care. One staff member told us, “We have out of hours always on call so if I have a problem, I can call that number and be assisted with my problem any time.”

The registered manager told us that they operated a 15-minute rule whereby staff needed to inform the office if a visit would be delayed more than 15 minutes, so that people could be notified and care rearranged. One health and social care professional told us the service was responsive saying, “I have no problems getting hold of Accolade during office hours, I've got the work mobile number of senior care co-ordinators so I can go straight to the person I need to speak to. I haven't called them out of hours but there is an out of hours carer on duty.”

People were kept informed of changes in care and the service through regular communication including a newsletter. This introduced new staff, showed pictures and information about the office team and other useful tips for people that they may need to access or know.

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 promoted people’s equality and worked to remove barriers or delays and to protect people’s rights. One health and social care professional told us, “Accolade always treat their customers with respect and try to address every reasonable request for support, showing excellent person-centred approaches and a commitment to positive outcomes for people they care for.”

The registered manager demonstrated a high regard for social inclusion among people supported sharing how they promote additional social visits and organise outings for people who may not otherwise have had this opportunity. For example, the management team staff who would offer people time out for tea or cake to prevent isolation.

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.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to support people at the end of their lives in line with any wishes that people may have expressed for care at this time. One staff member told us, “I have provided end of life care on different occasions and each time I have felt supported by my organisation, and they always make sure to outline the end of life wishes of the people we provide end of life care for.” The registered manager told us that a staff member would always attend a person’s funeral to pay their respects if invited by the family.

People had Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) forms in place (these detail a person's preferences for clinical care during an emergency when they cannot make decisions.) Whilst staff were aware of people’s personal wishes through conversations, the details of people’s preferences were not recorded in detail.

detail as it could be. The registered manager recognised that this needed to be improved and recorded more clearly.

Staff worked in conjunction with other professionals including GP’s and district nurses to ensure people had all their needs met at this time. Support was in place for staff during and following caring for someone and an end-of-life booklet had been created for people’s family and staff, so they knew what to expect at this time. The registered manager told us, “We support each other, anytime a person passes away, we send a message to the team and let them know we are here.”