Snowflake Healthcare Ltd

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs.



This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good.



Good: This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivered.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. People’s care and support was person-centred. Care was coordinated to maximise independence and planned to incorporate everyone’s choices and preferences. Staff told us they meet people prior to providing care and support and they already knew all about people’s needs as the information was contained within people’s care notes and risk assessments.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. People received care and support which was co-ordinated and worked in their best interests. People’s care needs were assessed to ensure staff were available to provide support at an agreed time. Staff were aware care could be coordinated for specific reasons such as timed medicines or to reduce risks. Staff told us if they were going to be late for a visit, communication was always provided to the person and the office staff, although this rarely occurred. Staff told us they were responsible for ensuring family and health and social care professionals were continually updated.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People were provided with information about their care and support, how to contact the office and other services such as benefits, health and social care services and health related information. Where people had been identified as requiring information to be shared in different formats, this was recorded in the care plan.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. Staff felt people knew them well enough to be able to share any concerns about their care and support. The provider had a complaints policy in place. Any complaints received had been reviewed, investigated and an outcome and apology provided.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. People were supported to receive care and support at a time which met their needs. The provider was committed to ensuring there were no barriers to the care people received. People had access to out of hours contacts should they need to contact the provider in an emergency. Staff were aware of any potential discrimination vulnerable people may face and ensured they reported any potential inequalities to the provider. The provider was flexible when supporting people to receive a package of care and worked alongside commissioners in the best interests of people supported. The provider was continually developing processes to support people with protected characteristics, and they were passionate about supporting people to live safely and with dignity. This was demonstrated when staff supported one person to move accommodation.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. People were free from discrimination as they felt involved and listened to when they were being supported with care by staff. Staff were aware of how discrimination could impact on people’s well-being. People’s care plans were written in consultation with them and with their consent. People's care plans were person-centred and detailed their characteristics, beliefs and preferences including their social interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes. The provider had an up-to-date Equality and Diversity policy. Within their Staff Recruitment policy was a commitment to equal opportunities and diversity, in line with current legislation.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. People were supported to make informed choices about their care and support. Care records captured what was important to each individual and where any advanced decisions had been made, this was recorded in care records. The provider supported people to make choices about their future care.