The Business Centre

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 unchanged.

This service scored 64 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People’s care plans contained some informative and detailed information about their previous life history, preferences, choices, likes and dislikes. However, there were some inconsistencies with recording people’s additional healthcare needs. Some care plans would have benefited from more detail for people living with specific health conditions. This meant people were not always supported in a person-centred way. Most people and relatives told us staff supported them well. One person said, “They are friendly and always have a chat, they have got to know our likes and dislikes”.

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. The provider worked alongside other professionals and day care services to ensure continuity of care for people. Where people had additional health needs which required using healthcare equipment, the provider had liaised with relevant healthcare partners to provide training and support. One healthcare professional described how staff had managed a challenging situation really well and provided additional support for a person. Staff told us they knew people well and felt they had built relationships to offer continuity, and some people and relatives confirmed this. One relative told us, “We get the same regular staff member, it’s important to us they see the same regular faces”.

People and relatives knew who the registered manager and leaders were, and who they could contact if needed. We received mixed reviews regarding the provider suppling appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Three people told us they had booklets with the service information and contact numbers, and relatives confirmed they had a copy of the complaint’s procedure. Another person told us they had a copy of the complaint’s procedure, but the format was too small for them to read. We shared this with the provider.

The provider acknowledged when people and relatives raised complaints about their care, treatment and support and had a complaints procedure in place. People and relatives told us, “If we had a complaint, we would ring the office” and “I do have a copy of the complaints procedure”. However, it was not always clear what actions or changes had been made as a result of complaints raised. The provider had recently sent out a person and relative survey and was awaiting the results. We reviewed the last survey from 2023, where over half of the responses to “do carers arrive on time and do both carers arrive at the same time” were partly or no. It was unclear from the results what action had been taken to address this, and some people told us this was still an issue. The providers processes were not always effective in driving improvements as a result of the feedback received.

Not all people required support from The Business Centre to access health care professionals and were supported by their relatives. Where needed, the provider made sure people could access the relevant health care and support. We received mixed feedback on people’s planned care and could not be assured all people received their planned care on time, or for the duration required. Health care professionals also confirmed not all staff stayed for the agreed time period they should and had needed to raise this with the registered manager. This meant we could not be assured people received their care and support as planned. Staff told us they have regular scheduled visits, some people we spoke with confirmed this.

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. We reviewed care plans which supported people’s protected characteristics. All staff had completed the Care Certificate and told us they had access to the providers policies which included safeguarding people and their protected characteristics. The Care Certificate is an agreed set of standards that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles in the health and social care sectors. It is made up of the 15 minimum standards that should form part of a robust induction programme. Protected characteristics are specific attributes safeguarded against discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. These include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

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 were systems in place to record people’s advanced wishes, where they chose to discuss them. These included people’s choices regarding resuscitation in the event of requiring emergency treatment.