SM Voice Advocacy Limited

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Relatives we spoke with were positive about staff. Staff unfamiliar with people’s needs worked alongside experienced staff to better understand people’s person-centred care needs. Adjustments to people’s care calls were made where possible to suit them when their requirements had changed. Extra support was given where appropriate and person-centred for that person.
Care and support plans contained guidance for staff around personalised approaches when supporting people with risk management, cultural, religious and spiritual needs to enable them to deliver person-centred care. This ensured people were able to receive personalised care.
Staff told us there had been positive outcomes around supporting people to become more independent with life skills such as cleaning, cooking or personal care.

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 experienced good continuity of care in relation to staffing, with relatives confirming this. Staff had regular people they supported and knew them well. The provider worked with professionals in the community to co-ordinate services to meet people’s needs. Professionals told us, “Their service provides a high standard of support to the (people) we commission,” and “The staff are friendly, approachable and supportive.” This helped to promote a consistent approach to the delivery of care. The service also had a good relationship with the day service people used and shared information as needed.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
People’s communication needs were assessed and documented in their care and support plans. Each person also had a detailed communication profile showing staff how best to understand what the person wants. Staff understood the importance of meeting people’s communication needs. They told us how they used simple language, visual prompts and gestures to support this. One person used photos and pictures to better understand the activities for their day and week ahead. A staff member told us, “The aim is always to make sure each person feels understood and included in their own care.”

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 had a complaints policy in place which documented how people’s complaints and concerns would be investigated and responded to. People and relatives were able to make complaints through email or telephone, although some preferred going through the staff supporting them. Relatives were satisfied how complaints were dealt with saying, “The manager always resolves complaints.” The registered manager responded to feedback from reviews including updating care and support plans. Staff told us, after feedback from an individual, the provider adapted support times and communication methods to better accommodate their requirements. The provider shared outcomes from complaints or feedback with staff through supervision, team meetings or via the care application messaging. This helped to promote learning and positive changes in line with people’s feedback.
There was evidence of listening to a person’s wish to go on holiday and supporting them to achieve this with positive feedback from family and a professional.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.
The provider had equality and diversity policies in place. Staff completed equality and diversity training, which helped to ensure they understood the potential barriers to accessing care people may face and how they could be supported to overcome them. Staff we spoke with understood the need for aids and adaptations to support people’s independence. Staff told us they supported a person to attend medical appointments where they were afraid of needles by doing some desensitisation work to reduce their anxiety. This helped to ensure people could access care and support when they needed, promoting equality and protecting their rights. The provider had an out of hours on-call system to support staff and people when needed.

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.
There were policies and procedures in place to help identify people at risk of experiencing discrimination or inequality. Care and support plans and assessment processes reflected these factors had been taken into consideration in the planning and delivery of care. Staff had a good understanding of the equality act and the principles that underpin it. Staff told us people had the right to fair treatment and should not be discriminated against because of any of their protected characteristics. This helped to ensure people’s care and support promoted equality and protected their rights.

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.
There was no-one receiving end of life care at the time of the inspection. Where relevant, people would have end of life care plans in place. Care plans would document any advanced arrangements and specific preferences around people’s care. A relative told us one person had been supported to have an end-of-life plan and funeral arranged. Staff did not currently receive end of life training which would be beneficial if they were to support people with end-of-life care.
Staff told us they also supported people to plan for the future in other ways to encourage their independence. This included financial planning for a holiday, buying more expensive items or Christmas.