Ideal Home Care

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.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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 registered manager routinely carried out comprehensive assessments of people’s care and support needs. These assessments helped to ensure the service provided was personalised and responsive to everyone’s circumstances. One person told us that within two weeks of their relative’s initial assessment, their care needs had changed. They said the registered manager responded promptly by completing a further assessment to ensure the care package accurately reflected those changes.

We reviewed a sample of assessments and found they considered all aspects of people’s needs, including their physical health, communication requirements, emotional wellbeing, social circumstances, and personal preferences. Assessments also included information about people’s likes, dislikes, and the outcomes they wished to achieve.

Assessments contained detailed information about people’s cultural backgrounds, ethnicity, and religious beliefs, enabling staff to provide care that was respectful of and responsive to people’s individual needs. They were comprehensive and provided clear guidance regarding people’s routines, preferences, and values.

The assessments also explored people’s personal histories and were completed with involvement from the individual and, where appropriate, their relatives. The registered manager demonstrated a strong person-centred approach, with a clear emphasis on understanding not only the needs of the person receiving care but also the wider needs and circumstances of their family.

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 provider was registered to provide support for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. At the time of our inspection, the service was not supporting anyone within these groups. Staff told us they had completed training relevant to learning disabilities and autism and the training records confirmed this. However, the registered manager demonstrated limited knowledge of the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture (RSRCRC). Further development in this area would help ensure that, should the service support people with a learning disability or autistic people in the future, care would be delivered in line with best practice and promote the same opportunities, choice, control, and independence as those available to other people.

Care records showed some people had specific healthcare needs. Staff told us they had received training relevant to the needs of the people they supported, and training records confirmed this. This helped to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills required to provide safe and effective care.

Care plans contained detailed information about people's nutritional and hydration needs, and staff demonstrated a good understanding of how these should be met. Where relevant, records included guidance from Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT). This provided staff with clear information about suitable foods and the required consistency of fluids, helping to reduce the risk of choking and support people to eat and drink safely.

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 told us they had access to detailed and up-to-date information about people's care and support needs. This information was available through an electronic application, and care folders were also kept within people's homes containing care plans, risk assessments, and other relevant documentation. Staff told us the information available within the application and folders provided essential details about people's care and support needs, as well as their individual preferences. This enabled staff to feel confident in delivering consistent, person-centred care.

The registered manager told us they worked collaboratively with other healthcare professionals and agencies to ensure people received a coordinated and seamless service.

Staff told us they had access to regular one-to-one supervision sessions, and the records we reviewed confirmed this. Staff also attended regular team meetings, which provided opportunities to share information, discuss service developments, and contribute to the running of the service.

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 healthcare services when required. The registered manager told us staff assisted people to attend medical appointments, and staff we spoke with confirmed this.

Staff had access to relevant information relating to people's health needs, backgrounds, and cultural preferences. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of each person's healthcare needs and was able to describe the involvement of other healthcare professionals and services in supporting people.

Care records contained clear information regarding potential deterioration in people's health and wellbeing. These records provided staff with guidance on the signs and symptoms to look for and the actions they should take in response, helping to ensure people received timely and appropriate support.

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 could be confident their assessed needs would be met. The registered manager regularly reviewed people's care and support needs to ensure care plans remained accurate, reflected their preferences and expectations, and were responsive to any changes in circumstances. This helped ensure staff had access to up-to-date information about how to provide safe and effective care and support.

People spoke positively about the care they received and expressed their appreciation for the support provided, which enabled them to remain living independently in their own homes.

The registered manager carried out regular spot checks to monitor the quality of care provided and observe staff practice. These visits also provided opportunities to gather feedback from people about their experiences of the service, helping to ensure high standards of care were maintained and any concerns could be identified and addressed promptly.

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

People could be confident they would be supported to make their own decisions which were respected by staff. One person told us, “Staff are very professional and always do as I ask.” The person’s relative said, “[Person’s name] chooses what they want to do, and the staff listen to them.”

Staff informed us they had undertaken the Care Certificate which covered the Mental Capacity Act and the staff training records confirmed this. The registered manager told us no one had a Court of Protection order in place. This is where a court makes specific decisions or appoints other people known as deputies to make decisions on behalf of people who lack the capacity to do so for themselves.