New Horizon 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 as good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (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’s care plans supported staff to be aware of people’s individual needs and social histories which helped them to understand the person and deliver the right care and support. A relative told us, “The staff have empathy and [Name] has bonded well with them. The care is as it should be for [Name] and that makes them happy. If I need to change something staff try and accommodate as much as possible.” People’s care records focused on how they wanted their care to be provided, what the person could do for themselves and where assistance from staff was needed. Care records showed people’s voice was at the heart of the care provided. For example, care plans detailed what was important for the person, including maintaining relationships, developing independence or maintaining their wellbeing. Staff told us they read care plans routinely, offered choices, sought consent and adapted support according to each person’s preferences. Everyday care activities were highly individualised, though some areas of care plans required update and some manual records still needed to be transcribed into electronic care plans. The registered manager was aware of this and was planning time to complete this process.

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’s care plans included information about their diverse needs. Care workers had received training in people’s diverse needs including equality and diversity, dementia, learning disability, mental health and autism. Staff understood the needs of autistic people and people with a learning disability and worked hard to ensure that typical barriers faced by people were removed or mitigated against. They recognised when people were at risk from poorer experiences and worked to ensure everyone was included and provided advocacy where needed.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People’s care plans included communication plans which detailed their preferences for communication and how information should be shared with them. For example, some people used key words or phrases and others used a combination of verbal and pictorial communication. Where people did not communicate verbally, relatives told us staff were skilled in identifying reactions and gestures to establish effective communication and share information with people.

The provider had systems in place for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. We received mixed feedback on the effectiveness of these systems. Where people and relatives felt systems worked, they told us, “I don’t think I would talk to the managers about anything; I sort it out with the staff,” “I can give feedback and raise anything; they definitely listen” and “Anything I ask for the management have never said no. I raised a couple of things and they dealt with it promptly. I phone them regularly and they always phone me back the same day to sort things out.” Some people and relatives felt there had been a lot of changes within the management team which had had an impact on communication. They told us, “It feels like we are complaining quite a lot. It sometimes feels like they aren’t listening” and “There have been a lot of changes in management, and we are not always informed of the changes, so we don’t know who to go to.” We saw formal complaints had been processed and responded to in line with the provider’s procedures. People confirmed they were involved in planning their care and relatives told us they were consulted where appropriate. A relative told us, “I am 100 % involved. I am the main port of call and they listen to me and act on specific requests for [Name’s] care.”

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The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff had good working relationships with local health professionals and knew how to contact the appropriate teams to support people when the need arose. Staff responded to changes in people’s needs and supported people to contact routine and specialist services when required. Staff worked with health professionals to understand people’s tolerances and experiences to enable them to access routine and specialist services

Staff and leaders 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. People who needed support to communicate their needs had health and communication plans. This helped to inform external agencies in how and when they could make their choices and decisions and how information should be shared with them. The provider demonstrated a person-centred approach to equality, diversity and inclusion. Pre-assessment processes were described as capturing people’s cultural, religious and personal preferences, helping staff understand individual identity and tailor care accordingly. All staff completed equality, diversity and human rights training, supporting a baseline understanding of inclusive practice.

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. Care plans showed people and those important to them were given the opportunity to discuss their end of life wishes and care plans reflected their wishes where they had made decisions. People’s care plans reflected planning for their future life development, with short term goals and a progression towards longer term aspirations.