Partners4Care Limited

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’s records contained a high level of person-centred information and we saw this translated into the way staff supported people. People’s homes were personalised in line with their preferences and staff involved them in day-to-day decisions. A relative told us, “Yes, we are involved in decision making as is [our family member] as much as is possible.”

When people’s needs changed the provider responded, providing additional staff to support as and when needed.

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 had a plan to ensure continuity of care during adverse events such as poor weather conditions and power cuts. Staffing was planned in advance to ensure people’s support needs were met.

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

We saw staff speaking to people in a clear way that met their individual communication needs. They were patient, took time to ensure they had understood what was said and also took time to understand what a person was saying in response.

Staff explained that one person had difficulty verbalising their feelings and emotions, so a pictorial mood board had been created using a favourite Disney character. We saw other people used pictorial social stories to help them with certain situations and there were easy read documents in place for things such as the complaints policy.

Relatives were kept up to date and given information relating to their loved ones. One relative told us, “Staff will always keep me up to date with any changes or health information.”

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.

The provider had a complaints policy and recorded any complaints with actions taken to resolve them. The provider completed surveys with staff, people and their relatives. Information from these were added to action plans and were used to improve care and treatment for people. An easy read document had been produced to share the results of the survey and action plan with people and show them they had been listened to.

People and their relatives told us they knew how to complain and were comfortable to do so. A relative told us, “Yes, I’m sure they would listen and respond but I have not had any concerns so far.”

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

Staff supported people by contacting health professionals as and when necessary. They followed professionals’ advice to help make sure people were supported safely. People were supported to use communication tools such as mood boards to help them effectively express their feelings and emotions. Staff told us this had a positive impact for the person and helped when providing support.

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 had been supported to have good experiences at the service and achieve positive outcomes. A person was taking part in a theatre group and another was a keen artist and their work was framed and on display in the home.

People were supported to be independent and learn new skills in relation to daily living. For example, people prepared their own meals, drinks and snacks. Staff were proactive in discussing and organising things for people to do that interested them such as meals out or a visit to see local Christmas lights. They told us how important it was for people to be supported to achieve goals both in their home and in the community and how this was a primary aim for them when they supported people. A person told us, “We pick what meals we want for the week and take turns shopping. We do the cleaning, I hoover round, empty the bins, dry the dishes. We have lots of things planned with staff, like the panto, I’m looking forward to this."

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.

The people being supported by the service at the time of our assessment were not in need of end of life support, however, the majority of staff had completed training to support people at the end of their lives should it be needed in the future.