Dorset Supported Living

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 service met people’s needs.

At our last inspection we rated this key question outstanding. At this inspection the rating has changed to 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 service 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.

The service focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they can do to meet their needs but also meet their goals. People’s care plans provided person centred guidance for staff on how to provide support in line with peoples wishes and preferences. These were reviewed regularly with people to ensure they were current and up to date.

The service 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 to the care they needed, when they needed it; this included seeing their GP or dentist. One person told us about their recent healthcare professional appointment and confirmed staff were providing support in line with advice, ensuring the persons choices and independence were respected.

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

Peoples care plans provided clear information about how they communicated. We were assured this service met the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS is a law to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss receive information they can easily read or understand.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People told us they could speak to staff and management. Comments included, “If I have a problem I can speak to the manager or staff”, “Manager is nice. [They] have many meetings and make sure we get what we want”, and “Manager has meetings with staff all the time and the staff tell [manager] what we think and [manager] listens.” The service actively sought feedback from people and their relatives to ensure their view were listened to and acted upon.

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

Records confirmed people were provided with support from relevant healthcare professionals when required. An on-call system was in place to provide access to the support in the event of an emergency.

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.

People were positive about the support they received and told us they made choices about their care. Staff told us they had enough information to provide people with safe care. People's care plans set out aspects of people's characteristics, beliefs and preferences to ensure their equality and diversity was respected.

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.

People and their relatives were provided an opportunity to discuss and plan end of life wishes. There was an established process for supporting people in the last days of their lives. At the time of this inspection the service was not supporting anybody who was receiving care during the final stages of life.