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Leaf Care Services

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit 4 - St Benedicts View, Grapes Hill, Norwich, NR2 4HH (01603) 618111

Provided and run by:
Leaf Care Services Ltd

Report from 31 July 2024 assessment

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Responsive

Good

Updated 13 November 2024

People and relatives were not all satisfied with the consistency of the care call times which could vary. They said they had raised this informally via reviews and feedback questionnaire, but they did not always receive a response. People received care which was person centred to their needs. Referrals were submitted to ensure people received the care they required as their needs changed. Staff had developed good working relationships with health care professionals to ensure people received the care they required.

This service scored 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Person-centred Care

Score: 3

People had a set group of staff who provided care to them, which helped ensure staff understood their individual needs and provided care as they would like it. One relative said, ‘[person] can be very anxious and can become easily overwhelmed. [staff] not only understand this but are able to provide calming reassurance and support to calm and help [person] relax’. Staff had a good understanding of what person-centred care was, how to access care plans and raise any changes or concerns they had. Care plans were written in a person-centred way. They held details of exactly how a person wanted to be cared for including colour of flannels and towels, what they could do for themselves and when they needed support. There were regular spot checks where senior staff visited their home and reviewed the care plans with them to ensure they were accurate.

Care provision, Integration and continuity

Score: 2

People and relatives had mixed experiences about the timing of the care calls and said they did not have consistent call times. One person said, ‘weekends can be a problem. It’s the timings between calls and we never know who is coming. This week [staff] is coming at 7.50,11am 4pm and then 5.30-7pm, which is great but at the weekend, who knows, they can turn up at the first visit at 9.45 am and that’s far too late because then it runs into the next call’. Another had a different experience. They said, ‘I’m an early bird, so they come early which is very good. They are on time’. We identified a number of issues including carers swapping calls round and insufficient oversight of actual times. The monthly oversight audit of the rota was not robust enough to have identified all and resolve these issues. There was an electronic monitoring system which gave live oversight of calls, and if a care call was running late the system would alert the office staff so this could be looked into, and, if needed, the person could be contacted to let them know. There were staff available who could then step in, so the care call was not missed. From our assessment the registered manager was putting measures in place to improve the oversight.

Providing Information

Score: 3

People and their relatives said they were given information about the service when they first started using it. They were provided with a service user guide which covered information about the structure of the service, its philosophy of care, values, and what they could expect. It explained how to raise a concern, complaint or compliment and had useful contacts. This was available in different formats such as braille, large print, as talking book and had been produced in different languages when needed. Information leaflets were also available on such things as fire safety advice for emollient cream users.

Listening to and involving people

Score: 2

Some people and relatives spoken to didn’t feel they were always listened to when they raised concerns by phoning the office or via feedback through reviews and questionnaires. One person told us, ‘I’ve put all these concerns [issues with call times] on the feedback form as well but I’ve never heard anything back. I do get a phone call sometimes to check on things, but nothing happens’. However, people did say if they had a real concern, they would know who to contact. There was a complaints and concern policy in place which said informal concerns would be logged, however, we found no evidence this was happening, or a way for concerns being identified to be resolved. From the assessment the registered manager put a more robust system in place to ensure these were captured and addressed going forward.

Equity in access

Score: 3

Health care professionals feedback were positive about working with the staff and managers to ensure people received the care they needed, working collaboratively with them. One said, ‘From the start they have been incredibly supportive and helpful to [person]. Communication has been good on a professional level and organised. When [person] was poorly recently, they took initiative and contacted the GP practice and requested a home visit’. A mental health and wellbeing role had been created to spend time and support people to improve their quality of life. They had worked with people to engage with GP surgeries to receive wellbeing checks, to re-engage with going to church and to attend slimming world. On a monthly basis there was a high risk audit completed by senior staff which reviewed each person and this was discussed at a meeting to ensure people were referred to any services they required.

Equity in experiences and outcomes

Score: 3

People and relatives were mainly positive about the experience they received. One said, ‘I have to say [person] is very satisfied with the care and so are we. Some of the carers are just so good, a real cut above’. Another person said, ‘Well I am happy with it really. They know what to do alright’. Staff were aware of ensuring people were treated with dignity and respect, including in relation to their culture and religion and would ensure they updated themselves if they were unfamiliar with any aspects. They were provided with training on this as part of their induction.

Planning for the future

Score: 3

People and relatives were involved in regular reviews of their care plans and risk assessments as part of spot checks, where details were updated including for planning for the future. When people were towards their end of life the team worked with health care professionals such as occupational therapist, the palliative team and doctors to ensure they had all the support and equipment they needed. Staff said they had the training they needed and there was guidance within the care plans on people’s wishes.