Premier Community

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

People received responsive care. People and their relatives confirmed they were included in care planning and reviews. People were supported to access the community and or participate in activities that were meaningful to them. Staff were knowledgeable about barriers people faced and supported people to overcome obstacles to meet their goals and wishes. People and staff were consistently asked for their feedback on suggestions about the service which promote a culture of open communication and support.

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.

People consistently told us their care and support plans reflected what they expected from Premier Community. These plans were personal to them and contained information for staff on how people wished to be supported. One relative said, “When we started looking for a provider there were so many to choose from, but we were impressed with how long the staff took to really understand what we were looking for and the support that was needed.”

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. One staff member said, “No 2 care plans are the same, because no 2 people are the same, it’s that simple and everyone needs to have input.”

People told us they experienced good and consistent care provision, integration and continuity. There were examples of people being supported to access day care facilities in the community and experience social activities. One person said, “Nothing is too much trouble, if I want to do something staff will find a way to support me to do it.”

Staff told us they were given the time and support to help people their diverse needs. For example, one staff member said, “I attended a call and the person was ill, as they lived alone, I phoned the GP and waited with them. The office staff supported me in this without question.”

Professionals who worked with the service praised the provider, registered manager and staff for going above and beyond in providing positive outcomes for people and reducing barrier people experienced in the local community. One professional gave us multiple examples of this way of working such as reduce isolation and loneliness and further said, “People have experienced positive outcomes consistently, staff really understand what is important to people and not just their health. They offer a holistic care experience that included people their families and even pets as part of that.”

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 encouraged to take responsibility for their own care needs in their own homes. This included arranging their own healthcare appointments. However, when this was required, and they did not have anyone to help them, staff members supported them in a way which empowered them to maintain their own wellbeing. For example, 1 person’s mobility had declined, and they had been supported with a referral to access services for a wheelchair assessment.

People and relatives stated they receive information via methods and in formats that were relevant to them. People and relatives gave examples that included email, paper and verbal information. One relative said, “Access to information is very good, we get a rota so we know who’s going, email updates and newsletters.”

At the time of our assessment no one needed support with accessible communication, however staff were knowledgeable about how to support this if need. One staff member said, “I know my clients, so I know if they need their glasses or hearing aids for daily things, but I also know we have access to services like translators and have used them in the past if there has been a language barrier.”

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People had individual assessments which accounted for their specific communication requirements.

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. Everyone we spoke with told us they knew how to raise a concern or to make a compliment.

Staff told us they were regularly asked for their feedback and gave examples of supervisions, team meetings and questionnaires and opportunities to do so. Additionally, a staff member said, “The office staff have an open-door policy and we can talk to them anytime. I came up with an idea to help locate people who are missing who have dementia. They are reviewing now to see if we can implement my idea.”

During our assessment we saw numerous staff coming into the office to speak with team members, gain guidance and give feedback. This was openly encouraged and created a positive environment. This was mirrored in the audit and logs of people and relatives. The registered manager personally called people to gain feedback and where needed undertook home visits to address concerns to ensure people were fully involved and listened to.

People told they us they were supported appropriately to access care and support relevant to them in a timely manner. A relative said. “Recently my relative had a fall and staff called an ambulance and waiting with [name] making sure they were ok and safe.”

Staff told us they had received training on people’s unique health conditions. This meant they could recognise changes in the person’s health and then take appropriate action. For example, staff were knowledgeable about people living with diabetes and how to identify symptoms of high or low blood sugars. Staff confirmed they had access to appropriate equipment to support people appropriately such as hoists and rotundas to support people with their mobility.

Professionals who worked with Premier Community told us they supported people who had complex health needs that created challenges and barriers for people and that Premier Community were responsive in identifying these barriers and supporting people to overcome them. Professional confirmed, where needed, staff and managers supported people to access different funding streams and or services to fully support them.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The registered manager was implementing new champions in areas such as safeguarding and equality and diversity to further support staff identify barriers and keep up to date with guidance and best practice.

Everyone we spoke with felt they were treated fairly and equally by the provider and the staff supporting them.

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 service complied with legal equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination, having regard to the needs of people with different protected characteristics and making reasonable adjustments to support equity in experience and outcomes. Everyone had their specific protected characteristics recorded and these were known and respected by the staff supporting them.

People told us they were supported to make informed choices about their care and plan their future care. People said this was reviewed as part of their regular care plan reviews so any changes could be made as needed.

At the time of assessment no-one was receiving end of life care, however the registered manager and staff were knowledgeable about compassionate care which maintained dignity and how these skills were essential as people neared end of life.

The provider had a policy in place and encouraged people to make decisions where needed such as DNACPR’s and ReSPECT forms. Care plans contained details about who people wished to be involved in this care planning if the need arose.