The Alan Shearer Centre

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 assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment, the rating has remained good.

This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs with them.

People's needs were assessed and reviewed. Staff demonstrated a detailed understanding of individual health, sensory and communication needs. Relatives requested amendments to care plans and managers described working with families following hospital discharges to ensure changing needs could be safely met.
 

The provider 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 reflected advice from health professionals. Staff followed professional guidance to support people safely and effectively. Professionals feedback included, “If I need to discuss a [person] I don’t need to wait for a specific member of staff to be available as most of the staff know the [people] very well.”
 

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff worked well with professionals and families to support positive outcomes for people. One professional said, “the service is very good at contacting us when they notice changes in [person] and need us to review things.”
 

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice, and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People accessed healthcare support when needed and were supported to take part in activities that promoted their wellbeing, including choir attendance, cycling activities, football matches and community outings. One staff member told us, "We try to encourage activities every day and focus on things people enjoy."
 

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Leaders used audits, keyworker reviews, daily records and quality assurance systems to monitor performance, identify trends and act where needed. Governance records showed incidents, accidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints and audit findings were reviewed to identify learning and reduce the risk of recurrence. Audits of care records and support plans helped ensure information remained current and reflected people's changing needs and preferences.

Staff monitored people's wellbeing and responded appropriately when concerns were identified. Care records showed changes in people's health and support needs were reviewed and acted upon, including referrals to relevant healthcare professionals where required. Keyworker reviews helped ensure care remained person-centred and responsive to people's needs. Feedback from people, relatives and professionals was used to improve the service. For example, feedback helped inform activity planning and support arrangements to better reflect people's preferences and interests. Leaders also used feedback and keyworker reviews to identify where care records and support plans required updating to ensure they accurately reflected people's current needs and goals. Learning from incidents, feedback and quality assurance activities was shared with staff and used to review risk management approaches, supporting consistent care and positive outcomes for people.
 

The provider did not always tell people about their rights around consent and did not always respect their rights when delivering care and treatment.

Staff sought people's consent before providing care and support and respected their day-to-day choices and preferences. They adapted their communication approaches to meet individual needs, including using communication aids where required, to support people to express their views and make decisions about their care.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people in the least restrictive way possible. However, records did not always evidence decision-specific mental capacity assessments where decisions had been made on a person's behalf. Where best-interest decisions had been recorded, documentation did not consistently explain the specific decision being considered, how the decision had been reached, or what less restrictive options had been explored. This meant records did not always fully demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the MCA.