The Towans Care Home

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.
The service had a process in place to ensure people had their needs assessed before moving into the home. The assessments formed the basis of each person’s care plan. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs and told us they had access to up-to-date care records.
 

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.
Staff received regular training to make sure their practice was in accordance with up-to-date best practice guidelines and legislation. The registered manager sought advice from relevant professionals to ensure people’s specific needs were being met in line with current guidance and research.
People commented positively about the food. Two people told us, “The food is excellent.” Other comments from people included, “They [chefs] are very good” and “I like plain food, nothing fancy. They give me a choice of food; they are extremely good.”
 

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 and the management team provided us with examples of how they worked with a range of health and social care professionals to support people’s needs.
 

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 were supported to access the healthcare they required. This included visits from the district nurse team and speech and language therapist. One person told us, “They will arrange for me to see a doctor if I need one.”
The provider had a system for recording people’s health appointments and any follow up actions or appointments required.
There was a programme of activities in the home arranged by activity coordinators. These had a strong focus on promoting exercise, social enrichment, and wellbeing. Activities included quizzes, singing, reminiscence, knit and natter, potting plants, food tasting, tai chi and yoga. Activity outcomes were monitored to determine engagement and enjoyment.
One person told us, “The activities are very good.” Another person commented, “They always tell me about the activities and try and get me to join them.” A relative commented, “The activities ladies are lovely. I believe that there are church services on a Sunday. [Name of relative] has an activities sheet delivered to their room.”
Staff encouraged people to take part in activities and lead healthier lives. One staff member told us, “They do activities, Tai chi, chair exercises, the residents like it.”
 

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.
People’s wellbeing was monitored through daily recording to ensure they remained well. Where concerns were identified these were raised with relevant professionals. The registered manager gave examples of people experiencing positive outcomes. For example, supporting people to mobilise after they had experienced a period of being immobile. Activities were monitored for feedback and engagement.
 

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People confirmed staff sought their consent, for example, before entering their bedrooms.
People told us they could make their own decisions; there were no restrictions and staff asked for their consent before supporting them. One person told us, “It is my choice to stay in my bedroom.” Another person commented, “The staff are very friendly and do ask me for my consent before doing things for me.” One person had chosen to make an unwise decision by not following health professional guidance. The health professional had been involved to ensure this unwise decision was completed in line with best practice. People’s capacity to consent was recorded in their care plans, however some documentation required clearer information detailing how people’s consent was sought.