Social Care Solutions Ltd (Cambridge)

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.
We observed staff treating people as individuals and providing personalised care and support. One relative told us “Staff are flexible and see to their [family members] needs”. Another said, “Staff are alert to their needs, and they are easily helped by their prompt interventions”. Care plans were reviewed regularly and following a change in need. Care plans included information about people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. The provider empowered people through collaboration. For example, they had a forum for the people they supported to share their views and voice what was working well and what was not working well.

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 were supported to be part of their local community and attended day centres, leisure places and education settings. People told us they had a consistent staff team that were flexible to meet their needs and preferences.

People had a document detailing their support needs that could be shared with health professionals if they went into hospital. Staff had quick access to people’s emergency information on the electronic care planning system and in paper folders.

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

The provider shared a newsletter co-produced with people who use the service internally each month. This included information on upcoming events and guidance for example how to make a complaint and compliment. Care plans provided lots of information to help staff effectively communicate with people. Relatives told us about the different communication systems that staff used with their family members, for example, sign language, hand touch and communication devices. Information could be produced in easy read and other formats when required. One staff member told us “I know their facial expressions, their body language, I know body language, how express themselves.”

Care plans contained lots of personal details about people’s communication needs and referred to different aids used so people could communicate their feelings.

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 provider valued co-production and supported people to meaningfully contribute to important parts of the service. This included involvement in recruitment, completing quality checks of the services, producing monthly newsletters and planning events.
The provider held meetings and forums, and conducted surveys with people, their families and staff to collect feedback. The actions and outcomes taken following feedback was shared so people knew how they were improving the quality of the service. People told us they were involved in regular reviews about their support.

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

Care plans detailed when and how people should be supported to contact health professionals. Risk assessments were in place so that people could be supported to access and engage in activities, even when they involved a level of risk.People told us how they had arranged their own appointments and made their own referrals. We saw examples of how staff had supported people to use technology to improve their independence and access to services. The service told us how they were improving access to the garden at 1 setting so everyone living there could enjoy the whole outside space.

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.

The provider had a policy in place to ensure people were treated fairly and equally and staff completed training to improve their understanding of equality and diversity. Staff supported people to gain new skills to increase their independence and choice. The provider helped people who could not use words to communicate to express themselves and make choices. People living at the service had a wide range of different needs. The provider was flexible with their approach and support to ensure people had an equity of experience. The staff worked with other professionals to make sure they understood and met people’s individual needs. We saw photos of people enjoying activities important to them and meeting their spiritual needs like going to church. Relatives told us about the many activities their family members did. Where there were barriers to people accessing activities for example having the right equipment, the provider was following this up with the relevant services.

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 met with people regularly to discuss their goals and aspirations. People had an advanced planning section in their care plan which provided information about people’s wishes and what action to take and who to contact if their health declined. Staff completed end of life training and read the provider’s end of life care policy.