Disablement Association of Barking and Dagenham Also known as DABD (uk)

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

The service supported people in a responsive way. Systems were in place for listening to people and staff, such as a complaints procedure and staff supervision. Care was provided in a person-centred way, based around the needs of the individual. Relevant information was given to people in formats to help make it more accessible. People were supported to access community services and facilities.

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 had a policy on person-centred care which stressed the importance of meeting people’s individual needs and of people being involved in planning their care. Relatives told us that interaction with people was good. 1 relative said, “They [staff] do a lot of talking to [person]. They are good a communicating with them.”

Staff told us how they worked with families in order to help them to provide the best care and support to their family members. We heard that through a number of monitoring processes, the organisation was able to observe whether the care offered was person centred. Managers told us how they sought permission of the families to visit their homes so they could observe staff practice. The provider told us how they had conversations with staff about what dignity should look like and the support people should expect to receive.

The provider told us how they supported people into the community as part of their leisure activities. This included trips to McDonalds where people used services in the local community and where they interacted with members of the public, using services and developing skills as part of this process.

Staff were provided with a copy of their job description which helped them understand their role in care provision to people. Staff were also expected to read the provider’s policies, and the local authority reported that there was a ‘Policy of the Month’ which was discussed with staff.

The local authority reported that documentation was available in various formats to help make it accessible to people, such as easy read.

The Manager showed us a lot of information about their services which was in an accessible format. We learnt that the provider had created surveys in accessible ways to enable people who use their service to give feedback.

We saw that the provider had a wide range of information that was made accessible so people could understand it. We saw care plans and service user guides which had been made easier to understand by the use of pictures. As well as information about people we saw posters of activities planned by the provider informing people of what was going on.

Relatives told us that care staff were good at communicating with people and that there had been a recent assessment and review of the person’s needs. However, a relative told us the provider was not always prompt at responding to them. They said, “I’ll send an email to the manager and they don’t even read them for 2 days sometimes.”

The Manager told us about surveys to people they supported, their families and other professionals they worked with. We heard how the provider listened to what people needed in order to provide the right support. We heard that this ranged from physical support to advice about benefits and the access to services required by people with a disability.

There were various systems in place for listening to and involving people. There was a complaints procedure to report any concerns people had. There had also been reviews of people’s care plans, but these were not always frequent.

The provider told us how they had worked with a range of other professionals to develop support to people who needed it. They told us how working with commissioners and social workers helped people find the tailored support that they need.

The provider told us how families supported their loved ones to medical appointments. They told us that in order to ensure there were no barriers to obtaining medical help they would assist the family if required and also take a leading role to make sure people got the access to services that they needed.

The provider told us how they supported a person to attend a day service in the community. They told us about other services they worked with that can provide opportunities for education and employment that are open to everyone that they worked with.

The local authority reported that care plans contained information about things people liked to do and their interests, which helped the provider support people with experiences and positive outcomes. They also reported that the service had made referrals to relevant health and social care professionals where required. The provider had a policy on equality and diversity which provided guidance to staff in this area. The provider told us that they talked to Social Workers and Commissioners if they felt that there were barriers that prevented people getting the care they need. They told us of the importance of their close working relationship with these people which has been developed over many years of providing services to the local community.

The provider told us how they were able to support people to a wide range of community and educational facilities in order to develop interests and skills. They were able to provide services that enhanced people’s independence skills that could lead to future opportunities for growth and independence. Staff told us about how care and educational services can work together to provide consistency in approach to developing skills and how this can benefit the person in the future.

We saw that people’s care plans identified areas to further people’s independence skills. Objectives were set for people to work towards, detailing the support people would need to achieve this.