Home Healthcare Delivery - South Tyneside

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• 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 the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and was consistent.

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.

People had individual care plans and risk assessments in place which had been developed to meet their current needs. People, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in the initial care needs assessment and periodic review of their care plans if their needs changed. The provider had introduced new AI technologyduring people’s initial assessments to capture their needs and wishes more fully and support more person-centred care.

People’s care plans identified their care needs but also referred to people’s individual strengths and ways in which their control and independence could be supported and encouraged. Where appropriate to an individual’s circumstances, their care plan included rehabilitation support.

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.

People’s care needs were detailed in their care plans, including guidance on how their specific needs were to be met. For example, where relevant to them, people had detailed care plan sections in relation to any food and nutrition support required from staff during their care visits. Where appropriate, care plans had been created in line with best practice national guidance.
People received care, treatment and support which was evidence-based and in line with good practice standards. A person’s relative told us they had access to the person’s care records. They said, “I can see from the care logs that they complete all the care tasks we need.”

The provider worked with other health and social care teams and services to support people. Staff were positive about their working relationships with the provider, family members and the people they supported.

Staff described working with health and social care professionals and escalating concerns appropriately, including safeguarding and clinical concerns. The registered manager told us they were actively involved in overseeing complex care packages and supporting staff working in the community. Staff were able to access up to date information via the electronic systems in place which enabled them to deliver safe and coordinated care.

Communication and relationships between office staff and field staff had not always been effective. However, the management team had taken steps to improve this, including introducing more meetings and increasing opportunities for discussion. As a result, communication was improving, and both staff and relatives told us they had no concerns about how the provider communicated with them.

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 with their dietary needs, ensuring that nutrition and hydration were maintained in line with individual preferences and requirements. In addition, staff provided reassurance, emotional support, and companionship, contributing to people’s overall mental and emotional wellbeing.

People were supported to achieve personal goals, with goal-setting incorporated into care planning to drive progress and positive outcomes.

Where required, the provider made referrals to other services to ensure people received additional support appropriate to their needs.

The provider had strong systems to monitor outcomes for people using the HICSS reablement service. Internal reporting and independent Local Authority surveys showed positive outcomes, including high levels of satisfaction, goal achievement, involvement and improved independence. However, monitoring was not equally effective across the wider service.

Quality assurance systems were in place, including audits of care plans, daily records and medicines. However, some checks were not frequent or effective enough to provide consistent assurance that people’s needs were being met across the wider service. Following the assessment, the provider strengthened its audit processes.

People’s care was monitored by the provider undertaking visits of people’s homes to assess staff practice and to seek feedback from people and their relatives. The provider also gathered relatives feedback through satisfaction surveys.

The provider told us they were committed to supporting people to remain safely in their own homes and worked proactively with healthcare professionals, family members and other agencies to identify and respond to emerging risks at an early stage.

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

A consent policy was in place, and mental capacity processes, including best interest decision-making, were established. Training records confirmed that all staff were up to date with Mental Capacity Act training.

Staff consistently sought consent before providing care. This was clearly documented in care records and confirmed by relatives. Consent practices were also monitored through spot checks, during which senior staff observed and confirmed that staff were appropriately seeking and obtaining consent during care visits.