Leicestershire Community Support Scheme

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 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. People’s care records focused on how they wanted their care to be provided, what the person could 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, 1 person had recorded ‘I want non-judgemental staff and I want to be able to fit my own corner and stand up for others,’ as what was important to them from their care, whilst another person had stated, ‘Give me time to communicate and I will tell you what I want to do and how I am feeling.’

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 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. For example, a person declined to leave their room. Their care plan showed, and staff confirmed, all services, including health appointments, were delivered to them in their room. This demonstrated a joined up and flexible approach to ensuring the person had the care they needed.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People’s care plans included information around their preferences for communication and how information should be shared with them. Guidance included environmental issues, such as giving information in a quiet area, limiting the volume of information people received and giving them time to process it. We saw staff shared information in a variety of ways including gestures and objects of reference.

The provider had systems in place for people to share their views and ideas or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support and this was reflected in their care plans. Relatives felt fully involved in their family member’s care. They told us, “Mencap has yearly reviews and I am always invited; I also receive reports” and “I have no problem with management they communicate with us, and I feel involved.” We received mixed views on staff ability to listen and communicate with people. Some relatives felt staff were responsive and took time to listen to them. A relative told us, “Staff are very responsive whenever I ring. I have never had a reason to complain. If there was an issue, I know I can speak to [service] manager.” Other relatives felt communication with staff was not always effective. Comments included, “At times [Name] reverts to doing their own thing because of communication issues with some of the staff who find it hard to understand [Name]. If they cannot communicate with [Name] effectively, it affects everything,” “On the whole, I would say [Name] is understood 70% of the time” and “My main bug bear is new staff supporting without reading [Name’s] file. For example, they might tell [Name] to read something, and they can’t, and it upsets [Name].” One person told us they did not know who to go to if they were not happy about anything. We raised this with staff who told us they would refresh people’s understanding around this.

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 were quick to respond to changes in people’s needs and support people to contact routine and specialist services when required. For example, staff worked with other agencies to support people transitioning between children and adult services, to ensure they had the right support and intervention during this time. Staff worked with health professionals to understand people’s tolerances and experiences to enable them to access routine and specialist services.

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 supported to access community resources and services. Staff provided advocacy for people to ensure their voices were heard in all aspects of their care, treatment and support. A person told us how much their staff member helped them. This was confirmed by their relative who told us, “[Staff member] is very good, supports [Name] to go out and to go to health appointments. They are a good advocate for [Name].” The provider complied with legal equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination and having regard to the needs of people with protected characteristics.

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.