Community Places

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 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 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 using a range of formal assessment tools, these were reviewed regularly to identify if people’s needs had changed. People’s communication methods were documented within care plans to enable effective communication. The assessments were comprehensive and completed with relatives and significant others who knew the person best.

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.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of key guidance and best practice. They discussed their continual aim for reduced use of physical restraint in line with current guidance and the importance of ensuring people had their rights and choices respected.

People were supported by staff who had received relevant and good quality training. Staff followed and applied their learning. Training included communication tools, positive behaviour support, human rights and restrictive interventions. Best practice and keeping up to date with guidance on complex conditions was seen as key to ensuring the most effective service for people. Staff undertook a range of training to help deliver evidence-based care. Staff told us training was helpful. Staff regularly met with the registered manager to discuss their work and best practice.

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.

People were supported by a wide range of health and social care professionals, including speech and language therapists (SALT), epilepsy specialist nurses and the learning disability intensive assessment and treatment team. The service worked well in partnership with advocacy organisations and other health and social care organisations, which helped to give people using the service a voice and improve their wellbeing. Advice was well recorded, accessible and consistently followed.

The registered manager was keen to focus on the strengths of the staff teams and meetings were held to promote a sense of working together. One staff member said, “We are not just colleagues we are like family and if you are upset you know there’s always someone you can go to or rely on.”

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.

Staff supported people to access health care screening and healthcare services when people needed support. They made referrals to other organisations and requested immediate support if people experienced an issue with their health.

People chose what they wished to eat each day and were always offered alternatives if the options given were not acceptable. Most people received assistance from staff to prepare their food, but people were encouraged to prepare their own if they wished to do so. Staff supported with healthy meal planning where people agreed to this.

The provider had a clear vision for the direction of the service which showed ambition and a desire for people to achieve the best outcomes possible. They ensured outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff empowered people to make their own decisions about their care and support where possible. We observed staff seeking consent from people before care was delivered. Mental capacity assessments were completed if these were required, and we saw evidence best interest decisions were made with the involvement of other relevant persons if this was needed.