Sowerby House

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 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 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. The provider completed an assessment of people’s needs, involving feedback from other professionals and relatives where appropriate, to understand people’s needs before they moved to the home. Care plans were developed, based on people’s needs and preferences. These were usually reviewed monthly or in response to incidents or changes in people’s needs.

The provider planned people’s care in line with current evidence-based good practice and standards. However, aspects of the delivery and recording of this care was not always in line with best practice. In particular, we found recording of people’s nutrition and hydration needed some improvement, as occasional gaps were noted. It was not always evident when staff had offered additional food and drinks. People were typically weighed once a month. However, we found that one individual’s malnutrition screening assessment had not been promptly updated to reflect their new weight. As a result, their significant weight loss was not identified straightaway to consider any necessary interventions. Although the registered manager carried out monthly audits to monitor weight changes and ensure appropriate action was taken, completing the malnutrition screening assessment immediately would have avoided an unnecessary delay in evaluating whether further measures were needed. The provider was working with staff to address this, and they also introduced a re-admission from hospital checklist to help ensure any weight loss after ill health was also picked up promptly.

We observed people were offered a choice of meals and regular refreshments. People told us they enjoyed the food. People’s comments included, “The food must be alright, I’ve no complaints” and “The foods very nice, I get what I need and there’s a choice.” A relative told us, “There seems to be a different menu each day. There’s always regular coffees and snacks.”

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure information was shared appropriately when people moved between different services. The staff team were organised and communicated with each other well. We observed them working together and proactively helping each other to provide care to people. They had daily handover meetings to ensure key information was shared about changes to people’s needs.

A staff member told us how the team had worked together to make improvements since our last inspection. They said, “There is good teamwork. We really work as a team. And the manager is amazing. So much change since [registered manager] started, which has improved things. There have been bad times, but we said if we stick together and work as a team, we can get through this.”

A visiting professional told us they had a good system of communication with the staff, including the introduction of a communication book. They added, “Everything seems to run very smoothly. There are always staff around... They also have pagers so they can contact each other if I need to speak to someone.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff made appropriate referrals to health specialists where required. Staff also followed guidance given by health professionals, to help people manage any health conditions.

Detailed care plans were in place, relating to any specific conditions such as diabetes. One person told us, “I can see a GP or district nurse when I need. Appointments - you know exactly when you are going, what for, and someone goes with me.”

There were some activities provided at the home to promote people’s wellbeing.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and met the expectations of people themselves. Staff worked with people to identify any goals or outcomes they wished to achieve as part of the care planning process. The management team provided positive examples of improved outcomes people had achieved since living at the home. For instance, one person who had recently accessed the service for respite support had been successfully supported to move home with a range of recommended equipment, following support from the service. Following their positive experience of the home, they had requested to stay again. Another person’s health had improved whilst using the service on a temporary basis, enabling them to move back home with a care package in place.

The provider had made improvements since our last inspection and was no longer in breach of legal requirements relating to consent. Staff respected people’s rights when delivering person-centred care and followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Capacity assessments and records of decisions made in people’s best interests were in place, where people lacked capacity to consent to significant decisions or restrictions.

Staff completed training in relation to the MCA and understood the importance of seeking people’s consent before delivering care. We observed staff offering people choices and respecting their decisions.