Being responsive means that your service ensures people can access the care, support, and treatment they need when they need it.
Such care will need to be provided consistently, so you will need to have the systems and support in place to enable this to be the case. This will be reliant on effective relationships with health and social care partners, as well as the wider support in the community.
The CQC will want to know how you support people to access other services at the right time and when needed. Be prepared to explain in interviews and back up with documented evidence how this has happened.
Inspectors may also want to know how your service supports different people around reasonable adjustments, ensuring premises are accessible and responding to emergency unplanned care needs.
They’ll be looking for a responsive and flexible approach to providing care, rather than a one size fits all approach.
The CQC will interview the people you support about their experiences, as well as others from within your service but also the wider community. In residential services there may be observations too.
Expect inspectors to look at documented evidence in care plans and reviews, as well as advocacy and support records and your engagement with other services.
To learn more about how you can meet this area of CQC inspection, take a look at GO Online.
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