Caremark Hounslow

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. The last rating for this key question was requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

The provider carried out assessments of people's needs and choices before they started using the service. They discussed these with the person, their relatives and other representatives to make sure everyone agreed. Assessments were used to develop care and support plans. These were regularly reviewed and updated. The registered manager told us they had improved assessments and care plans. These incorporated objectives which people had agreed to. Staff supported people to work towards these and the management team monitored and reviewed care plans, objectives and whether people were happy with their care.

People using the service told us they had been involved in these assessments. Relatives confirmed they were happy with care plans and were consulted for reviews and changes.

The provider helped to make sure people received evidence-based care. They employed a trainer who managed, organised and delivered staff training. The registered manager was also a qualified trainer. Staff undertook a range of learning related to their roles and responsibilities. This included training about people with a learning disability, dementia, care interventions and the use of equipment and health conditions. The provider sourced additional learning from external professionals when needed. Staff told us the training was useful and enabled them to provide good quality care which reflected guidance. We spoke with the member of staff who delivered training. They explained, “I go to the clients’ homes, so I know what supporting each person is like. This helps me to train staff.” Then went on to say, “When we deliver training about people with a learning disability, we do this over 2 days. We use the second day to ensure the learning is embedded.” The registered manager told us external healthcare professionals helped to provide training regarding healthcare conditions and in the use of equipment.

The staff prepared meals for some people. They had information about good nutrition and how to monitor nutritional and hydration intake. The provider also gave staff information and training about different cultural preferences for meals.

The provider had systems to promote good communication. The management team met with each other and care staff to discuss the service as a group. They discussed lessons learnt when things went wrong, service developments and key procedures. There were systems for the staff to communicate key messages using a mobile application.

The staff liaised with other professionals when needed to share information and alert others to any concerns and changes in people’s needs.

The provider helped to make sure people led healthy lives. Care plans included information about people’s healthcare needs. The provider made sure staff had information about these. Staff worked with other professionals to monitor people’s health. Relatives confirmed this. One relative told us, “[Person] has multiple medical needs. The staff are very good and go above and beyond. They understand these needs.”

They explained staff alerted them to concerns about health and followed guidance from healthcare professionals. Some people had multiple complex health needs. The staff had information and training about these.

The provider monitored outcomes to make sure people received good care and support. Staff had helped people to develop planned outcomes about how they wanted to be cared for. Care plans and outcomes were regularly reviewed to make sure these remained relevant, and people were receiving the right support. The management team contacted people and their families to ask for their opinions about the service. The staff kept records at each visit to show the care they had provided. These records were checked by managers to make sure care plans were being followed.

At our last assessment, we found the provider did not always ensure people had consented to their care. We made a recommendation in respect of this. At this assessment, we found improvements had been made.

The provider ensured people were given the opportunity to consent to their care and treatment. They assessed people's mental capacity to make decisions and how people communicated. The staff presented information in ways people could understand and make choices. People who were able to make decisions, had been involved in developing care plans and had signed their consent to these. For people who lacked the capacity to make complex decisions, the staff had worked with their representatives to make these decisions in their best interests. Staff completed training to understand about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their responsibilities. One member of staff told us. “We have to assume people have capacity. They might be able to make some choices themselves, even if they need support to make other decisions.”