The examples below provide insight into how other Good or Outstanding rated services are succeeding in this area of inspection.
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Empowering, adaptive, transition-focused communication
The provider was exceptional at developing appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
Information was available in different formats, depending on individual needs. We saw people accessing their care plans electronically using a ‘read aloud’ mode, some were in ‘easy read’ and others contained signs and symbols. This enabled people to be actively involved in communication and decision making. A person told us “This service has been transformed and is like a totally different place. Communication is so much better, and I am able to control how I am supported that has made a world of difference to my quality of life”.
Staff communicated effectively with people through difficult transitions. For example, staff researched the characters and learnt the language used in a person’s favourite computer game and used this to help them understand a transition plan. This meant the person was able to understand each stage of the transition, develop their own support plans and achieve their goals. A professional told us, “The team were phenomenal, we only had 12 days… the way they effectively communicated and engaged with [person] had a huge impact on the successful outcome, furthermore staff have enabled [person] to go out for the day, this is the first time [person] has done this in 12 years.”
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Care provider: Milford Del Support Agency
Date published: July 2025
Detailed, inclusive, needs-based communication
The provider were exceptional at developing appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
The provider established communication needs for all people at initial assessment, for example staff discussed any assistive technology needs and then supported people with these needs. They also provided staff with flash cards to support people whose first language was not English. Care plans provided specific guidance for staff on how best to communicate with people. For example, plans included statements such as “must face [person] all times when speaking” and “make sure glasses are on.” For people who struggled to give written consent the provider’s digital system had a dictaphone concept for those who find verbal consent more comfortable.
The provider was dedicated to support people to access information in ways they could understand. They provided easy read PAL Instrument (Pool Activity Level – a person-centred dementia assessment tool designed to help caregivers understand and support individuals with cognitive impairments) assessments for people living with a dementia diagnosis, each one unique to a person’s condition. For example, one PAL assessment regarding continence wear enabled staff to work with a person to achieve a successful outcome of being able to take a person via a taxi to a day centre. The provider also enabled people to manage their own mobility risks as they provided an easy read falls prevention document to all people who had been assessed to be at risk of falls.
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Care provider: Respectful Care
Date published: May 2025
Informative, accessible, sensory-aware environment
The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
There was signage in place throughout the service to orientate and inform people. For example, the home’s bathroom and toilets had dementia friendly signage. There were easy read notices, such as the large activity planner on the wall in the hallway so people could choose what they wanted to participate in.
People’s care plans detailed their communication needs and the support they required, this information was regularly reviewed and updated. People’s sensory needs were also assessed, the home was equipped with a sensory wall.
There was nobody in the home at the time of the inspection who required adaptations to meet their needs to understand information. However, the provider told us they had measures in place to ensure people’s needs could be met.
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Care provider: Cleeve Lodge
Date published: April 2025
Supportive, visual, communication-focused care
People were supported in line with their communication needs. Staff were trained in communication methods such as using signs and objects and also knew how to communicate verbally with people in a way that supported them to understand what was being said to them. A relative said, ‘‘When [family member] first moved in staff spent a lot of time learning what the words they said meant and how they used signs to get their points across. This meant they understood what was happening from the beginning.’’
The registered manager and staff team placed signs around the service to support people to orientate and know where they were. The registered manager had produced care and support plans for people in an ‘easy read’ format. These were very detailed and contained a lot of pictures to help people understand the contents of their support plans. Policies and procedures were also available in an easy-read format.
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Care provider: The Limes
Date published: September 2024
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.
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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.
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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.
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Care provider: Westmorland 国产乱伦care
Date published: September 2022
Ethical ways to manage information with a Caldicott Guardian
In this 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 . Access our whole Care Exchange series here.
Read more about this service . Read more about Caldicott Guardians .
Care provider: Sir Josiah Mason Trust (SJMT)
Date published: April 2022