Saracen Care Services Ltd in Rodney Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire has been rated Outstanding for a second time following an inspection in September by the Care Quality Commission.
Inspectors rated the service Outstanding both overall and for being caring, responsive to peoples’ needs and well led and Good for being safe and effective.
Saracen Care Services Ltd provides personal care and support to people with a learning disability, physical disability and/or mental health need in their own home or in shared accommodation. At the time of the inspection, there were 25 people using the service
Rebecca Bauers, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the South, said;
“It is great to congratulate Saracen Care Services Ltd on achieving yet another Outstanding rating for their care.
“People were receiving exceptional care with services being developed and tailored to their needs and at the same time promoting independence.
“Staff spent time getting to know people to build meaningful and valued relationships with them. People were treated with compassion and kindness.
“It was clear throughout the inspection, that the staff took pride in their work and went the extra mile for the people they supported. Not only have they kept to a level of excellence but they have taken our report to heart and tried to explore what else they could do to improve the care they offer their clients. I would like to congratulate the service on attaining an overall rating of Outstanding again.”
Some of the key findings from the inspection include:
Staff knew people well and were attuned to people's speech, body language and unique signs which helped them understand people's views. They understood individual preferences, dislikes and communication needs. Staff were also sensitive and knowledgeable about people's individual ways of communicating. Through time and dedication, the team had gained an understanding of peoples sometimes limited verbal communication. They had explored different ways and tried innovative electronic devices and tools to enable people to express their views and needs. For example, hand held computer devices was used for one person to enable staff to explain health care appointments.
The service ensured people were fully involved in making decisions about how they wanted to be cared for and promoted their equality. This helped people to make sense of information when difficult decisions needed to be made. For example, two people had to make life changing decisions about medical treatment. Staff had gathered all the information they needed to help them make an informed choice including easy read leaflets about their medicines and side-effects and worked tirelessly with health care professionals to provide assurances through every stage of the process and to protect their human rights to live their life as they wished.
The service had developed a significant number of creative communication tools which included pictures, easy read, video care plans, training videos involving people and an accessible newsletter to strengthen people's involvement in expressing their views and driving their own care. The caring culture of staff had been enhanced through the use of these tools and people were supported with compassion to make difficult life decisions.
Not only have they kept to a level of excellence but they have taken our report to heart and tried to explore what else they could do to improve the care they offer their clients.
Rebecca Bauers, Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the South