Choice Independent Living Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Commissioning teams said the service was responsive to assessing new packages of care and the care plans reflected people’s needs. Staff had the information they needed to meet people’s needs prior to their first visit. People’s nutritional needs were recorded on their care plans. People and relatives said they were supported with their meals where appropriate. Staff said the contact details for other professionals were available in each person’s home. They contacted the GP, district nurses and other professionals as needed. Relatives said the communication with the service was good and staff informed them of any changes in people’s health or wellbeing. Staff sought people’s consent before providing 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 and relatives said they had been involved in agreeing and reviewing the support they needed. A relative said, “We felt the care coordinator related to us and understood [Name’s] needs.”

Staff told us that they had information about people’s needs and how to support them and this information was readily accessible. Staff said they were given information about the support needs of new people to the service before they made their first call with them.

Processes were in place to assess people’s needs prior to admission to the service and tasks identified to be completed during each visit. Risk assessments and care plans were reviewed regularly.

People and relatives said the staff completed all the agreed tasks and met their needs. A relative said, “We explained what kind of support [Name] needed and that’s what they’ve done.”

Staff said people’s dietary support needs were recorded in their care plans. They said they asked people what they wanted to eat and had enough time to prepare people’s food and support them to eat where necessary within the support calls.

Support plans identified where staff were to support people by providing food and / or a drink.

People and relatives were positive about the communication with the service and other professionals. A relative said, “We feel we are working together as part of a team to keep [Name] at home. The telephone numbers of all the agencies are available to the carers and they inform me by phone if they have called them.”

Staff said they enjoyed working for the service and worked well together as a team. They said communication with colleagues and with the management team was good.

Commissioning was very positive about working with Choice Independent Support. They said they were responsive and communicated well with them if people’s needs changed.

The service worked with people, their relatives where appropriate, and other professionals to assess and meet people’s needs.

People and relatives said staff would inform them of any changes in people’s health.

Staff said the contact numbers for all relevant professionals (District Nurses, MacMillan nurses, bowel and bladder team) were contained in the person’s NHS file at their property. Commissioners said the service made appropriate calls to other professionals when their input was required. A member of staff said, “I call the GP or district nurses when needed; we have all their numbers in the care plan.”

Choice Independent Living supported people at the end of their lives. People’s, and their families, wishes for their end-of-life support were identified and followed. Other professionals, for example the palliative care team, District Nurses and MacMillan nurses, were contacted appropriately.

People and relatives felt their family member was well treated by kind and caring staff.

Staff told us how they followed peoples, and their families wishes for their end of live support.

Care plans identified people’s wishes for their care and support, including where they wanted to maintain as much independence as possible. Tasks for each call were identified, although we saw 1 care plan where support with a person’s catheter was not in the task list. From the daily notes we could see staff were completing this at each call.

People and relatives said staff explained what support they were going to provide and sought people’s consent for this. One person said, “Staff listen to me and don’t ever pressure me” and a relative told us, “Carers inform [Name] all the time what care they are giving; I like that it is reassuring for them.”

Staff explained how they obtained people’s consent for the support provided.

Care plans contained information about consent and how people communicated their consent for the support offered.