Widecombe Nursing 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 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.

We have not awarded this service a score for Effective.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Effective.

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 used assessments to identify the type and level of support people required. People’s needs were assessed prior to using the service. People had care plans setting out care and the support they required, which were regularly reviewed.

We found care notes to be concise, for example staff noted when they chatted with people and how they supported their needs. A relative told us, “I am kept updated on any changes to my [person] health. I am aware of their care plan, and I feel engaged.”

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 provider used recognised tools to help assess people’s needs and make changes if necessary. These included Waterlow for assessing people’s risk of developing pressure ulcers and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) used to assess people’s risk of malnutrition. Staff said when they see any changes in people’s needs, they would inform the nurse, deputy manager or registered manager.

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. We saw evidence that people were supported to access a variety of healthcare services to meet their needs. This included dietitian, mental health team, social workers and GP. During our assessment we observed staff interacting positively with visiting professionals.

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 said that they were supported by staff. One person said, “I get pain, but I don’t get chance to complain, as the nurse looks after me and I get my medicine which helps.”

The service had menus available for people which catered for personal preferences and a varied nutritious diet.

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. People’s care was continuously monitored and daily records demonstrated regular care and support from staff. People were positive about the staff. One person told us, “The staff are very good.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Where a person did not have capacity to make their own decisions, or had fluctuating capacity, the provider had completed mental capacity assessments. This meant the service had acted in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) code of practice. Staff received training in MCA and understood what consent means.

A staff member told us, “When you go to a room, always knock, let people know what you are going to do and ask for consent.”