Verve Homecare Ltd

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 provider met people’s needs. This is the first assessment for this newly registered 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 needs and safety of people formed the basis of the culture of the service. Staff understood their role in making sure that people were always put first. They provided care that was genuinely person centred and sought to protect and promote people’s rights.

Feedback from professionals was extremely positive on how they supported people and involved them. Comments included, “They managed to turn around a failed placement from a previous provider into a really positive, effective service for the service user” and “Staff are very knowledgeable around individuals they support and individuals with autism. Staff are very committed to the individuals they support; they have a stable consistent staff team who are very experienced with the individual they care for”.

People had individualised care plans to guide staff on how to support them. This was kept under review as they got to know the person or as their needs changed.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The service provided support to people with complex care needs. Due to complexities some people had been excluded from services such as education. There was a commitment from the service to ensure people continued to have access to care, support, education and health. Their ethos was to ensure people were not excluded and could do the things they wanted depending on their wishes. This included visiting open spaces, going shopping, going out for a meal and participating in activities that many take for granted.

Relatives confirmed they were involved in the care and encouraged to visit and be part of their loved one’s life. A relative described how the care staff worked alongside the family to enable their loved one to continue to live at home. Another relative told us how their relative had moved to their own home but still felt very much part of the lives and visited regularly.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The registered managers told us they were aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Accessible Information Standard. This standard expects providers to have assessed and meet people's communication needs, relating to a person's disability, impairment or sensory loss and supporting them as they moved from one service to another.

Staff described how they used social stories and easy reads to help people understand what was happening and encourage their involvement whilst reducing a person’s anxiety. For example, attending healthcare appointments.

Monthly newsletters were sent to people, which included important dates to remember, celebrations, recipes, puzzles and introduced new staff. People had a service user guide which clearly described the expectations of the service and key contacts.

People's communication and sensory needs had been assessed and planned for. Staff had received training in supporting people who used nonverbal communication. However, care plans relating to restraint were written using professional jargon, which meant the person may not fully understand what and how this would be completed. One of the registered managers told us they were looking to provide this in a pictorial format.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback, ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People had a service user guide, which clearly described what to do if they were concerned. Records showed complaints were listened to and acted upon. Relatives shared with us some of the complaints they had raised which had been resolved through better lines of communication.

The staff and the management team made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment when they needed it. Discussions with the management team showed they understood how to access specialist health or social care support should this be required. Staff were strong advocates for people ensuring they got the help they needed.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff supported some people to attend medical appointments. Social stories and easy reads were used to ensure the person understood what was going to happen and why. This supported the person to access the services they needed.

People were supported to plan for important life changes. This enabled them to plan and make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. There were clear and appropriate discussions taking place regularly around people’s future plans and the setting of clear goals. A recognised planning tool was used to help plan for end-of-life care where this was appropriate. Where a person had been supported with end of life care all professionals worked together to support the person and their family.