Our Approach to Care

About the Strategy

This strategy is for you - the people who use Community Care Homes Ltd and our staff who support you.

This strategy aims to help us to develop a more consistent approach to user participation.

Who are the 'Service Users'?

The term ‘service user', includes the following people:

People who use our services.
People who may use our services in the future.
User groups and organisations that support and represent the interests of people using our services.

Our Participation Principles

In involving service users we will:

Treat people with respect and dignity.
Work and make decisions with people.
Be fair and just with people.
Make sure that people are encouraged and supported to speak their minds and have their say about our services.
Make sure that we are always user-friendly and that all our participation activities are accessible to service users.
Be clear with people on what they are being asked to be involved with, how their views will be used, and when they will be informed of the results.

About Participation

User participation is about talking and listening to service users and involving them as partners in the decisions that affect their lives.

Examples include, involving service users in decisions about their own health and social care needs and how these are to be met. Asking service users for their views on the usefulness and friendliness of our public information. Inviting service users to take part in regular meetings where they can have their say about the services we offer.

We believe that service users have a right to have their say, to enjoy choice and to share in decision making about their services.

At the same time we recognise that there are limits to this right and we must be open and honest about these.

We have legal duties and responsibilities that we must carry out. Also, we may sometimes need to make decisions that may go against the views of service users. If this happens, we will clearly explain our actions as well as people's right to appeal or to make a complaint.

Having set out some of these limits to user participation, we are committed to making sure that service users are at the centre of all that we do and the way we do it.

Why We Need to Involve Service Users

There are many good reasons to involve service users. These include:

To give people a real say in the services we offer and the way we provide them
To better tailor our services to meet people's individual needs
To make sure we provide quality services that are friendly, fair, and useful
To make sure our services support people's dignity and independence

How Much Participation

Participation will involve service users being involved in decisions about their own services.

For some service users, receiving information about services is enough. Other service users will look to be more actively involved, wanting to give their views and expecting to take part in local decision-making.

We believe that service users must be given the equal opportunity to participate to a level and a degree that suits them.

Where We Are Now

There are a number of areas where we already include user participation in the way we work. Examples include:

Resident Rights & Philosophy of Standards of Care
Care management policies and procedures which set out user's rights in the assessment and care planning process.
The Homes regular surveys where service users can feed back their experience of being supported in their own home.
The annual user experience survey where people can give their views on how well they think we are doing.
Monthly, residents meetings where all residents can discuss any aspect of their care or the daily organisation of the home.

Our Strategy Aims

This Strategy has four main aims:

To develop User Participation across all our services.
To develop Staff Training and Support so that all staff are able to make participation happen.
To give Feedback on progress made in putting this Strategy into practice.
To develop Standards and Targets so that our progress can be measured and reviewed.

What We Will Do to Meet the Aims

User participation

We will:

Work with service users through our regular surveys & meetings.
Involve service users in checking how well we currently practice user participation.
Develop plans to fill unmet needs and gaps.
Support service users to have the opportunity to be involved in staff recruitment and training & interview questions.
Support service users to be involved in the running of services, including taking part in making decisions about how services are organised and delivered, and how they measure up.

User training and support

We will:

Help service users to have their say through advocacy support.

Staff training and support

We will:

Publicise the User Participation Strategy to make sure that all staff are aware of what it says and understand their part in making it happen.

Feedback on progress

We will:

Develop suitable ways to feedback to service users on how well we are doing in making the Strategy happen and how long this will take us.
Make sure that the results of participation and consultation are used to improve the services we provide and how we provide them.Create opportunities and support for service users to comment on the quality and usefulness of the services provided to them.

Standards and targets

We will:

Develop measurable and achievable targets for user participation in the delivery and development of services.
Move to a systematic approach to user participation so that we always expand and extend the things we do well, and improve on those areas that need to be developed.

Who Will Make it Happen?

All those involved have a role in making the Strategy happen.

Service users

Service users are at the heart of the Strategy and have a critical role in helping us to continue to develop user-friendly, accessible and fair services.

Staff

The staff are key parts of making the Strategy happen. Staff will make sure that service users are informed of their rights and the standards we work to.

Manager

The manager will need to make sure that the way we offer services, include suitable arrangements for user participation, and that staff are implementing the Strategy and receive appropriate support and training.

The Manager will take the lead in making sure that all those involved are supported to make the Strategy happen and to check and report on progress made.

Twice yearly focus groups, to include service users and staff, will be set up to monitor and review progress made with the User Participation Strategy and advise on future action.

Setting and Reviewing Targets

This Strategy will be regularly checked to make sure that it keeps up with the needs of service users, and also that it is fully up to date with our policies and procedures.

An Action Plan will be developed to make the Strategy happen. This Action Plan will be incorporated into our aims and objectives.