
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
38 | HEALTH AND CARE AT HOME
at their own pace. We recognise that
tasks are important, but the person
is more important than the task,
and allowing people time enables
us to undertake our roles more
effectively. While we are with people
who use our service, we are happy
to support them in any way that is
safe. We are happy to offer them a
cafetière and read of the newspaper
first thing in the morning, or a full
English breakfast prepared for them
after the shower. We are also happy
to accompany our customers on
a holiday at home or abroad, and
of course support those coming to
Cornwall to enjoy their vacation. Put
simply, we will support any person
who uses our service with complex
nursing interventions, personal care,
domiciliary chores, shopping and
community activities.
One person who used our service,
June, had been advised by mainstream
services to move into a nursing home;
however, she refused to give up on
returning home. On discharge to her
own home, against advice from the
hospital, we began to work with her
privately. She had been in hospital for
eight months, but our carers supported
June alongside her family. June was
able to be nursed and cared for at her
own pace, and she was determined
not to be dependent on others all
of her life as she had been told she
would be. Gradually, June began to
feel stronger; she moved slowly from
requiring a hoist, to being able to
support herself, and new equipment
was introduced to allow June to bear
weight for the first time in a year
without assistance. Within five months
of returning home, June was walking
independently and no longer required
our services.
How we do it
Our talented team of professionals
and practitioners have the skills and
talents to support people living at
home with the most complex medical
conditions and to support planned
and co-ordinated hospital discharges.
We always undertake an assessment
of the person’s requirements and
their nursing, social and occupational
therapy needs. These assessments can
be undertaken in any setting, to allow
for the comfort and convenience of
our customers.
Once we have an understanding of
our customer’s health, care and social
requirements, we co-produce a care
plan, which explicitly states what we
are being asked to do, how we will
achieve it, where it will take place
and when it will be completed. These
personalised care and support plans
also explain who the person is, as
much of their life story as they wish
to share – names of family, friends
and key events help us to initiate
conversation and understand more
about the person we support. We
also pay close attention to what is
important to the people who use
our service and how they wish to be
supported. Our care and support plans
are very clear about how, where and
when the care will be administered.
Openness and transparency are
a crucial part of our process, and
our planning process ensuring the
service we provide is clear, supportive
andsafe.
Our talented
team of
professionals
and practitioners
have the skills
and talents to
support people
living at home
with the most
complex medical
conditions and
to support
planned and
co-ordinated
hospital
discharges
“
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We support people
at home and in the
community