Elgar 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 86 (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.

Care plans were reflective of people’s choices and personal preferences. For example, 1 person needed clear, calm and respectful communication from staff to help them understand what was happening during care to make them feel reassured, involved and respected. People’s preferences were respected. A relative said, “[Person’s name] gets male carers as he needs lifting up to be put in his chair and two female carers couldn’t do that. And they’re both lovely blokes, and they do whatever they need for his personal care.”

There was a deeply embedded culture of person-centred care, where people were truly valued as individuals. For example, by working collaboratively, a staff member and the registered manager helped trace and secure medals a person had never received from their service in the armed forces. This brought immense pride and emotion to both the person and their family, while also giving the staff member enormous confidence and pride in the difference they had made to someone's life.

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. People and relatives confirmed this. One person said, “I have a regular carer during the week and then weekends it depends on who’s on the rota, but I recognise them. I have an app that tells me who is going to be coming, and the time they are coming.” Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals such as GPs, District Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and community teams to ensure care is coordinated and people receive the right support at the right time. In addition, the leadership team had also completed domestic abuse awareness training through the Cut It Out programme. This enabled them to identify concerns early, support people experiencing abuse and signpost them to specialist services.

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

People’s care plans contained information about their communication needs. Information such as posters and leaflets about safeguarding and whistleblowing were available to people in easy-read or other accessible formats. Without exception, people and relatives told us all of the staff team communicated effectively. A relative said, “We have very good communication with them all, managers and staff.”

The provider had redesigned their website to better reflect the personality, values and culture of Elgar Care rather than using a generic provider template. The provider had also developed their Google Business presence to improve accessibility, transparency and communication with prospective clients and families.

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 confirmed they were listened to and knew how to raise concerns. One person told us they always receive satisfaction surveys where they can raise any concerns or issues. A relative said, “A couple of times I’ve emailed them for little things, and they’ve come back to me straight away.”

The provider actively encouraged feedback to drive through improvements. This feedback was sought through surveys, reviews, meetings, audits, and day-to-day conversations. The information was analysed and informed both quality improvement plans and operational decisions.Following a staff survey, a ‘You Said, We Did’ section was introduced in team meetings and staff communications, and ongoing investments were made in training and development. This ensured staff input was directly acted upon. For example, staff said standard uniforms became uncomfortable during hot weather, the provider introduced lightweight summer uniforms to help them work safely and comfortably while maintaining a professional appearance. Staff requested warm waterproof outerwear for the colder months, branded winter jackets were provided for traveling between home visits. These changes improved daily comfort, promoted staff wellbeing, and ensured teams continued to represent Elgar Care professionally throughout the year.This meant people and staff felt truly heard and knew their input was directly acted upon.

The provider was exceptional at ensuring people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People using the service received exceptional mental health support alongside their core homecare package. This was achieved through close partnership working with a local mental health charity and included distributing resources such as crisis support and counselling information. In addition, the registered manager and another member of the management team were also mental health ambassadors for this local charity and were trained by them in suicide prevention techniques. This meant they had the tools they needed to recognise signs in the people they supported, and staff, who may be in distress and knew how to act responsively and proactively. The provider had made the workplace more mental health friendly, improved policies to be more inclusive and made adjustments to be more LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse friendly following training and partnership working with this local charity.

The management team supported a culture where conversations were normalised and part of everyday for example, conversations with men and letting them know it’s ok to talk and seek help. Staff attended a Men’s mental health awareness evening to develop their understanding further.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored care, support and treatment in response to this.

The registered manager and staff went above and beyond their expected duties, proactively offering activities to reduce social isolation and significantly enhancing people's quality of life. They made sure people had the same opportunities other people had. For example, by hosting social events. This enabled people to come together and reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation they may be experiencing. Staff shared 2 people had developed a close and meaningful friendship from meeting at one of these events and how they looked forward to seeing each other at future ones. This positive impact demonstrated how meaningful social opportunities has on reducing isolation and improving people’s overall wellbeing. Where people were unable to engage in social events due to health needs, mobility limitations, personal choice, or other commitments the team reviewed how they could make these events more inclusive. This resulted in afternoon tea takeaway boxes being introduced and delivered by staff to people who were unable to attend in person. People feedback this made them feel included and were appreciative they had been considered to be part of the event which had a positive impact on them. People were supported to access health services. For example, one relative told us how a staff member had called for emergency healthcare for their family member and how the staff member stayed with them making them comfortable until they arrived. Where appropriate people were supported to make appointments and with referrals, and staff shared information with people or signposted them to relevant agencies and services. People had care reviews to monitor their experience of the service and ensure they were achieving good outcomes.

People were given exceptional support to plan for important life changes, so they could make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. Advanced decisions were discussed as part of people’s initial care assessment. Where information was provided this was documented within care plans. This included ReSPECT forms which stated whether people were for resuscitation or not and whether they were to be admitted to hospital. We saw excellent feedback from a relative about how staff liaised closely with hospice professionals and undertook additional training to provide the highest standard of end-of-life care. They noted, “Throughout my [family member's] battle with motor neurone disease, they provided outstanding and compassionate care, always responsive to changing needs as well as deeply supportive of our family as a whole. In addition to the day-to-day carers, staff in the office were always available to provide advice.” Where people had chosen not to make advance care planning or formal end of life decisions and arrangements this was respected.