TLC Community Services Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last inspection we rated this key question good. The rating for this key question has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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.

Staff made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, well-being and communication needs with them. A professional told us, “The manager has accommodated referrals when the service has appropriate availability but are transparent when they do not feel they have capacity to fulfil the needs of service users which is beneficial in preventing breakdown in services.” Guidance on how to support people with specific needs was incorporated into their assessment of needs. When needs changed, so did the assessment and the guidance for staff. A staff member commented, “Communication is very well managed. If there are any changes in a client’s health or with medication we are all made aware using our communication system on our phones.”The registered manager met with people and their relatives before packages of care started to ensure their needs could be met by the service. A relative told us, “On day 1 the manager came out to meet us, and we have regular updates we can all have a say in.”

Staff planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Care plans were developed for each identified care need and staff had guidance on how to meet those needs. A staff member commented, if we need any extra training for a new client such as peg feeding or stoma care then we get the relevant training before we go into the call and if we need extra support the supervisor will meet us and go into call with us.” Staff applied learning effectively in line with best practice, which led to good outcomes for people and supported a better quality of life. A relative commented, “[Name] did not want staff at all to start with, now they look forward to them visiting. They make sure [Name] has fish and chips every week, as they like the meal.”

Staff at the service worked well across teams and services to support people. The service had systems in place for staff to communicate with each other which enabled them to deliver people’s care and support. Staff made timely referrals and worked with other agencies to ensure people's treatment needs were met. A professional commented, “Office staff are prompt in liaising with me if any moving and handling issues arise, ensuring issue can be resolved before reaching a crisis.”

Staff at the service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. A professional told us, “Staff work very well to ensure [Name]’s emotional and physical needs are met.” Records showed people received regular health checks, and included any specialist advice and guidance, that had been obtained where people had additional support needs This included from the GP, or district nursing service. Staff had the knowledge to monitor and identify a deterioration in a person’s health. A staff member commented, “Service users have the same carers each week, so you pick up quicker if they are unwell or not quite themselves.”

Staff routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Care plans were personalised to ensure outcomes could be met, which meant people received safe and effective support. There was evidence of reviews and action being taken immediately following any changes to people’s needs. A relative commented, “Staff have changed the package a couple of times to suit us. They wanted to get it right for our needs.” During reviews, care needs were discussed to improve outcomes.

Staff at the service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People’s consent to care and support was respected by staff. Care plans contained evidence that consent to care documents had been obtained from people’s legal representatives.