LadyB Health Care Recruitment Agency's Ltd

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• 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.This is the first inspection for this service since they were registered in November 2022. This key question has been rated 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. People and their relatives told us they received personalised care from staff who knew them well and had a good understanding of their needs. Due to the funding nature of some of the care, relatives told us the provider was able to be flexible to ensure care was scheduled when needed and fitted in around their daily life. Staff confirmed they had multiple shadowing visits with people and reviewed their care records before starting to work with them. This helped them to understand how people liked to be supported. A staff member added, “I had shadowing for a month and it was really helpful. This was with the manager and another carer and it gave me a good understanding."

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. Relatives told us how having the same regular care staff helped to improve their family members health and wellbeing. A relative said, “As there is continuity of care, it is consistent and they have built up a good relationship.” A health and social care professional said, “I met one of the carers at the assessment and he was very involved, knew how to engage with the client and it was clear they knew them well. I could see they were comfortable in the care workers presence."

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People’s communication needs were assessed and discussed during their initial assessment, with information recorded about how staff could communicate with them. Staff told us there was always sufficient information available, along with shadowing visits, to help them understand people’s communication needs. A relative was positive about the staff team and their ability to communicate effectively. They said, “Whilst it can be difficult at times, staff have a good understanding. They engage with them, make them laugh, joke with them."

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. Although people and their relatives told us they had never had to raise any complaints or concerns, they were confident they would be listened to and their concerns would be taken seriously. A relative said, “I am able to give feedback regularly. There are times where I get a weekly call to ask how everything is going."

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The provider had regular correspondence with people to review their needs and find out if further support was needed. A health and social care professional told us the registered manager responded to any changing needs to ensure people had access to the appropriate support. They added, “One thing that stood out is that they really advocate for their service users, they put them first in everything to make sure their needs were met. The manager called me, pursued everything and helped the family contact the local authority when there were issues."

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. The registered manager had an awareness of the groups of people who were at risk of possible disadvantages and knew the procedures to follow to address any possible barriers within their care. The registered manager said, “We treat everybody fairly regardless of their disability, race or religion. We will try as much as possible to find out how they can be supported and included. Where needed, we can make the necessary referrals for advice and guidance from professionals and other agencies."

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. End of life care was not being provided at the time of the inspection. The registered manager was aware of the importance of this if people’s needs changed and people’s care plans had a section to record people’s wishes or advanced decisions at this stage of their life. We saw a recent team meeting also had a discussion around the importance of clear and open communication with people and their families. This included strategies for effective listening, active questioning and empathetic communication for having difficult conversations.