The Sussex Village Homecare Service 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 service met people’s needs. This is the first assessment for this service. 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’s care plans contained information which was important to them. A staff member said, “Person-centred care means to me, I see that the person is literally at the centred of what we do and can express their rights, choices and needs.”

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 also supported by health and social care professionals who provided staff with instructions and advice to follow. A healthcare professional told us, “The staff I have met from The Sussex Village Homecare service have always come across as caring and provide good care. They have always followed the guidance given.”

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The registered manager ensured documents were available to people in a format they could access. For example, printing information in large font, on coloured paper and providing information on a mobile data storage (USB) stick so people could enlarge this on a computer screen.

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. The management team visited people on a regular basis to support them and during general conversation would check that people were satisfied with the service. People and relatives knew how to complain if needed, comments included, “I have never needed to complain about anything, it would be [registered manager] who I would speak to.”

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The registered manager understood how to access specialist health care support when required. People were able to contact the service when required through the on-call rota system.

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 advocated for people to make sure they had access to professional support, they told us how they spoke up for not only the people they cared for but family members too. A relative was struggling to attend meetings about their loved one’s care and asked for staff to attend, which they did. A relative told us, “Really the carers do what they can for us.”

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. Staff had received training on how to support people when at the end of their lives. Relevant professionals were engaged to ensure people had the right medicine and equipment to remain comfortable. People were encouraged to plan for their future care and when needed, their loved ones were consulted.