Royal Mencap Society - Essex Domiciliary Care

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.

Care plans and risk assessments we reviewed were person centred and reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. Feedback from people and their relatives supported that people were treated in a person-centred way. One relative told us, “It’s fantastic as they’ve done so much work with [relative] and changed [relative’s] life. I can’t praise them highly enough.” People’s bedrooms were personalised and staff supported people to choose how they would like to have their rooms decorated. One relative told us, “They [staff] understand [relative’s] choices, because last year we saw [relative’s] bedroom had new wardrobes and accessible storage for [relative] to reach.”

We observed positive and meaningful interactions between people and staff during our on-site visits. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of person-centred care and the importance of treating people as individuals. One staff member told us, “I feel the service does particularly well in promoting person-centred support and encouraging people to make choices about their daily lives. Staff work hard to support individuals to maintain their independence, participate in activities they enjoy, and achieve positive outcomes.” Care plans and risk assessments showed that people and their relatives, where appropriate, were involved in reviews and information was provided to people in accessible formats.

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.

Staff told us that they had handovers between shifts and had access to the electronic care plans for information relating to people’s needs, which was kept up to date. Staff we spoke with knew people well and our observations supported this. Professionals told us that communication between the home and external health and social care professionals was good. We saw people’s care plans included information provided by external health and social care professionals.
 

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

The registered manager was aware of their responsibility to meet people’s communication needs and make information accessible under the accessible information standard (AIS) where required. The AIS is a legal requirement for organisations providing NHS and adult social care support to ensure people are provided with information in formats that support their specific needs, for example in easy read formats or larger print.

Care plans we reviewed documented people’s communication needs, including if they required any additional communication aids such as pictorial formats, sign language or Makaton. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the people they supported individual communication needs. The service also supported people with assistive technology. People’s information was kept secure and confidential.

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 systems in place to record complaints and compliments to drive improvement in the service.There was clear evidence of actions taken and lessons learned around any complaints received that were shared with the wider teams where appropriate. Staff feedback confirmed they felt comfortable with raising any issues and that management would listen to them.

The provider carried out surveys with people, their relatives and representatives and staff. Feedback was collated and action plans developed to help with continuous improvements of the service. The provider also had a ‘Speak out Safely’ helpline for staff to access when required.

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

People were encouraged to access the community and activities within the service. People had access to health services and equipment to support mobility needs. Feedback from professionals was positive around referrals and the provider communicating with other healthcare professionals.

We observed people participating in activities that were important to them and accessing the community during our on-site visits and overall feedback supported this. One person told us, “I have been out today and they [staff] help me with everything.” A relative told us, “[Relative] goes out a lot and is only really in on a Wednesday as [relative] goes out to different activities.”

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 ensured people had access to external health providers and healthcare professionals. Timely referrals were being made, for example to the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team. The service aimed to promote independence and maximise opportunities rather than simply provide care. We did not receive any negative feedback around people feeling that they experienced discrimination or were treated unfairly.

Staff had completed training in equality and diversity, and staff understood people had a right to be treated fairly and equally. Staff we spoke with were passionate about ensuring the people they supported were able to access things that were important to them to enable them to have meaningful experiences and pursue goals that reflected their individual aspirations.

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.

Processes were in place to ensure people were able to plan for the future, such as end of life wishes and preferences, with information provided in an appropriate way to help people to be involved where possible. People were also supported to plan for future goals and aspirations, and we saw evidence of the service being active in supporting people to achieve these.

People and their relatives, where appropriate were involved in planning for the future and reviews were being carried out.