Sapphire House

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. People, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Care plans clearly documented people’s views about their care and set out their aspirations and these developed into goals. Where people’s goals had associated risks, these were always viewed as manageable and broken down into small steps, often repeated, to try and ensure a positive outcome. People had their own ‘Engaging Moments’ folders which documented their recent achievements and the steps towards them.

People led full and active lives and were the drivers of their own care. One healthcare professional commented, ‘Community access is improving, possibly because all 3 clients are currently reasonably settled but again some credit to the unit for effective support in keeping things settled to allow that to happen.’ Another stated, ‘I have carried out two assessments on my adult and have been very impressed by how [the staff] interact with my adult and have implemented changes to the care and with care plan paperwork when I have made suggestions to make it more consistent and coherent.’

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 were supported to access healthcare appointments, for both routine and specialist services’. One social care professional told us, ‘I know for my adult [the service is] constantly getting on to health colleagues to make sure my adult has a good outcome, and I am kept up to date.’

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Information was provided in ways people could understand including pictures, photos and easy read documents. The manager told us one person sometimes likes to communicate via handwritten notes and this was accommodated. Staff responded to people’s moods and were focussed on calm speech designed to inhibit people escalating their distressed reactions which could present difficulties for staff and others. Protocols were in place to support this process and staff were confident in their use.

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. Feedback from people who used the service was gathered and recorded. Where people made suggestions or were unhappy with any aspect of their care, action was taken to try and remedy this. Relatives were consulted about their family member’s care and were asked for their opinions and suggestions. We observed both the manager and the provider were open to people raising issues informally, and relationships appeared relaxed.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff supported people to access services where they wished or needed to do this. The manager advocated well for people when they found attending appointments problematic, to ensure people were not barred from future appointments.

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. Staff had completed equality and diversity training and demonstrated a good understanding of the barriers people who used the service sometimes faced when trying to access services. Staff were good advocates for people and aimed to put measures in place which aimed to ensure people were not discriminated against and were able to set and achieve their goals.

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 documented people’s plans for their immediate and longer-term future. These had been drawn up in collaboration with them. Although not currently in plans, the provider had begun the process of documenting people’s end of life wishes. They had contacted families and sought advice and support from specialist organisations to help tackle this sensitive subject successfully.