About Select Choice

In short: are people protected from harm? The CQC looks at whether staff understand the risks each person faces, whether enough of the right people are on shift to give consistent care, and whether managers act quickly when something doesn’t feel right.

• People were safe and protected from avoidable harm.
• People could have confidence that any safety concerns were explored and their wellbeing was genuinely at the forefront of care planning and delivery.
• Staffing levels were safe and provided good continuity of care to people.

• People felt safe. They and relatives had confidence in staff doing the right thing to keep them safe. One person said:

  “[Person] used to get really anxious and with different staff would get upset. That doesn’t happen with this service — they have built a team around [person] and anything like that is very rare.”

In short: does the care actually work? The CQC checks how carefully staff are trained and supervised, whether the service joins up with GPs, hospitals, OTs and family, and whether each person’s care plan keeps adapting as their needs change.

• People’s outcomes were consistently good and people’s feedback confirmed this.
• Induction, training and supervision were well planned. Training was carried out by an accredited trainer and supervisions by experienced staff.
• People felt fully involved in how their care package was designed and reviewed.
• The provider had worked well with relatives and external professionals to ensure a continuity of care and to minimise the impacts of moving between services. Staff worked well with a range of external professionals to ensure people had access to the right advice and support.

• Staff were respected and were evidently part of a well-functioning team. One staff member said:

  “My managers consider what I want and how they can suit my needs. Constant 1-to-1 supervision to be sure I am satisfied with my job and to talk through any other issues.”

In short: how do staff actually treat the people they support? The CQC looks at whether people are listened to and treated with warmth and dignity, whether their preferences genuinely shape the care they receive, and whether carers are given enough time to do the job properly rather than rushing through tasks.

• People were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
• People and relatives were respected and valued by staff who knew them well and behaved in line with the provider’s person-centred ethos. The provider supported staff well to fulfil their role effectively. They were given the time to meet people’s needs in a calm, respectful way.
• People’s individuality was respected. Good days and bad days were clearly understood by staff who knew how to adjust their approaches accordingly. People’s personal, cultural and social needs were understood and valued.

• One external professional said:

  “Select Choice is one of the few that have ever expressed not only willingness, but eagerness and proactivity regarding helping the client I share with them to follow their physio regime and become more independent.”
• “[Management] have a listening ear, they are always available to see me in the office whenever I request for an appointment. They are also interested in my long term career plans and training.”

In short: does the service shape itself around the person? The CQC looks at how well carers pick up on each person’s preferences from the start, how quickly the service adapts when needs change, and whether feedback from clients, families and outside professionals actually leads to changes in how care is delivered.

• Staff understood people’s needs well from the outset. They responded well to people’s suggestions and feedback. We received positive feedback from external partners regarding how flexibly the service worked to meet people’s needs.

• Care was personalised to people’s individual needs and could be changed when needed. The registered managers regularly reviewed care packages to ensure people were able to explore the best options for them. One person said:

  “They have been very good from the start, making sure I was happy with everything, and if there was anything else they could do — lots of little adjustments.”

• The provider understood that person-centred care was best delivered by staff who had built a bond with, and knowledge of, a person. One external professional said:

  “Carers have been with [person] for several years and they know them so well.”

In short: is the service well-run? The CQC looks at whether managers are visible and approachable, whether staff feel heard and supported, whether the service is honest about where it can improve, and whether it builds strong working relationships with health and social care partners.

• People, relatives and external professionals felt the service was well-led. They described leaders as open, accountable and approachable. One relative said:

  “I can’t fault them — they’ve listened and taken their time to get to understand [person] — things are much better now.”

• The registered managers led by example, interacting personably and flexibly with people who used the service and finding solutions to challenges. They were experienced in care and brought their own passion for providing high quality care into the role. They effectively prioritised the areas of the organisation for improvement and further review and documented this in an ongoing development plan. One relative said:

  “[Staff] have bags of energy and nothing is a bother in terms of questions or explaining things.”
• Staff felt listened to and able to contribute ideas. People, relatives and external professionals had full confidence in the leadership at the service.
• Staff worked well with others when people’s needs required it, for instance taking advice from an OT (Occupational Therapist) and working with them to help people keep up their regime of exercises. They had built positive, mutually respectful relationships with social care and health care partners.