The examples below provide insight into how other Good or Outstanding rated services are succeeding in this area of inspection.
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Innovative ways of recording communication needs, likes and goals
Accessible information was available to people so they could see their achievements, what their goals were and information around decision making.
One person had a tree in their room made from images of all the things they liked doing and goals they had achieved. We saw staff talking to the person about their achievements and reminding them of the things they had achieved.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Brunel House
Date published: January 2023
Communication needs of people with complex needs
Staff were skilled in understanding the communication needs of people with complex needs. For example, staff identified a physical health need for a person that had previously gone unnoticed.
They linked this with their difficulty in communicating verbally and supported them to seek medical intervention to address the issue. They were able to communicate verbally as a result, and their distress and frustration was reduced.
Another person was supported to use the limited words they were able to as a way of communicating specific needs. This resulted in them using coded words in place of getting frustrated and hitting people resulting in a reduction in distress for the person.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Avenues South East
Date published: November 2022
How assessed communication needs help staff to provide better care
People's care records contained comprehensive information about their assessed communication needs. This supported staff on people's preferences and personal style in interactions. Staff told the CQC it guided them to be patient, and staff informed us specialist communication training in different formats had enhanced their skills to understand and communicate confidently with people.
For example, the service supported a person with acute autism and wasn't unable to be referred to her in first- or second-person narrative without displaying agitation behaviour or self-harming. Due to this the agency adapted their communication styles with the person and only referred to them in third person and worked with techniques advised by the behavioural team at their current placement, a local college.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: Westmorland Homecare
Date published: September 2022
Ethical ways to manage information with a Caldicott Guardian
In this two-minute audio clip from the Care Exchange podcast, Zoe Richardson talks about how the new role of Caldicott Guardian from 2023 will enable all regulated health and adult social care services to protecting personal information is used responsibly, held responsibly and ethically accessed.
You can listen to the full podcast here. Access our whole Care Exchange series here.
Read more about this service here. Read more about Caldicott Guardians here.
Care provider: Sir Josiah Mason Trust (SJMT)
Date published: April 2022
Meeting people's communication needs
The service had an innovative approach to using technology to aid communication and used feedback from people to continually improve outcomes. For example, a voice-controlled device had recently been purchased which informed people what was happening at the service each day. This was important because some people couldn’t read written information.
Assistive listening technology called a 'hearing loop' was in use at the service to help people with hearing impairments engage in conversation. The loop worked by picking up on the spoken word whilst reducing other background noise.
Computers were available for people to use and some people had been provided with tablet computers by The Royal Navy Veterans Association. Some people had received training to use the internet to help them connect with their friends and family.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: The Royal Star & Garter Homes - Solihull
Date published: March 2020
Decision-making profiles
People are encouraged to be as active and involved in their support as possible and the staff used innovative ways to make this achievable. Each person had a 'decision-making profile' which described what support people needed to be able to make informed decisions.
Sections included 'how I like my information', 'how to present choice to me' and 'when are the best times to ask me to make a decision?' For example, one person had limited movement in their hands so the staff team created signs that work for them and communicate these with staff.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: SENSE - 89 Hastings Avenue
Date published: April 2019
Supporting people via an online portal
The registered manager used technology to improve services. Each person receiving support, and each member of staff, had access to the service’s online portal. People receiving support could access, via their mobile phone or computer, their programme for the week which gave details of times of visits and names of staff supporting them for that week.
The portal gave people the opportunity to 'ask a question', 'make a comment' or 'make a complaint.' The registered manager told us people sometimes used the portal to change their support times to better meet their need.
The portal also gave details of forthcoming social events that people could join if they wished, and photographs and pen portraits of the staff providing support.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: Community Support Service (D.D.H. Services Ltd)
Date published: March 2019
Aiding non-verbal communication
The service matched one person with a care worker who was able to use sign language. Another person had signs and pictures added to their care plan to aid communication between them and their carer.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Recording preferences for support and communication
The care plans contained information about preferences for care support, including the gender of care support workers and how people wished to be cared for. Care plans described how people communicated their needs, complemented by daily communication records which demonstrated the levels of engagement and support both needed and delivered.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Exploring and adopting new tools to strengthen and develop care and telecare
Learning how new technology can be used and how that may offer creative solutions to evolve our care and support is constantly being explored. For example, more and more apps are being developed that may be beneficial in helping us engage or support clients, particularly those with a diagnosis of autism.
We also use telecare to help balance the need to keep people safe whilst maximising their independence. Therefore, a range of options such as door alarms, epilepsy monitors and PECS, voice, or eye-gaze technology are used to support clients with communication and minimise the need for staff to be constantly present. We also use low-tech options such as TEACCH systems and social stories to help clients understand and cope/communicate.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Using a website to introduce people to the service
We’ve invested in a website design that gives prospective clients, who have access to the internet, a clear understanding of the services we provide. There’s a profile for each of the management team, so people know who they’re speaking to when they call us. For clients who don’t have access to the internet, we’ve created a comprehensive print brochure outlining everything about our service.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Care Concern (Homecare) Ltd
Date published: April 2018
Providing people with various methods of communication
When one person needing care and support began to lose their voice, staff encouraged him to use other forms of communication. Initially they taught him to click his tongue to attract attention but when he began to use a ventilator, a touch-sensitive buzzer was set up that he could use for the same purpose. For end of life care, staff would regularly support the person to angle their hand to use the buzzer when needed.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Finding ways to communicate emotion without distress
When supporting a person living with autism who found it difficult to express themselves at times, staff introduced a way of giving the person a tangible object when they were disappointed. This represented an emotion and helped them to resolve the disappointment without acute distress.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Understanding the approaches people need to communicate
Having been through the accreditation process with The National Autistic Society, all our staff fully understand the different approaches people need to enable them to understand or to be understood.
We’ve created a total communication environment to meet the needs of all our young adults with autism and special needs. Information is presented in ways suitable for each individual, so they can communicate to the best of their abilities. We use tools and systems tailored to each person, including body language, eye contact, facial expressions, Makaton, hand gestures, symbols, activity boards, objects of reference, social stories, photographs, IT technologies, communication passports, intensive interaction and other sensory materials.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Elysium Care Partnerships
Date published: April 2018
Establishing a hotline for bilingual communication
The homecare agency which supported many people for whom English was not their first language, introduced a bilingual hotline for English speaking staff to phone and relay what they wished to say and vice versa.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018