Maple 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 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 care plans created from these assessments and reviews were detailed, personalised, and used positive and respectful language. This included a lifestyle plan for each person living at Maple House, with information and photographs about their likes, dislikes and those important to them. The manager told us, “I’m proud of our care plans. I review them monthly to ensure they are as up to date as possible.” We also saw staff completed questions specific to people’s care plans as part of supervisions, to ensure they were aware of any updates or change in need. This meant people received support which met their assessed needs. A relative told us, “I’m absolutely happy with the care.”

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 had access to healthy and nutritious meals which met their needs and preferences. On the day of our visit a person had helped to prepare a sausage casserole, with fresh vegetables. A staff member told us, “I've been looking at new ways to improve our weekly menu, making meals and sauces from scratch, including more vegetables into dishes, and taking resident’s favourite meals and finding ways to adapt them in a healthy balanced way if necessary.” National evidence-based assessments were used, such as MUST (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool) to support the delivery of good care.

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 received feedback the service worked well with people’s relatives where required to support good access to healthcare support. A relative said, “We are notified about GP appointments, and invited to and updated about hospital appointments. Our views are sought when decisions need to be made.” People were enabled to access a wide range of health services, and had clear plans in place following any recommendations made. The manager told us, “We have health action plans, go for regular appointments, health checks, to the dentist, to eye appointments, to the epilepsy nurse, and people’s weights are checked weekly.” This helped to keep people fit and well.

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 and encouraged to take part in physical exercise. A staff member told us, “One of the individuals I support enjoys long walks which is great for [their] health and wellbeing. We often take local walks or even take a bus to a country park where there's various walking routes.” People took part in a wide range of leisure activities to meet their interests. Another staff member told us, “We do everyday activities, so we go swimming, to the spa, trampolining, bowling, go to the zoo, the pub, football. We do at least 3 activities a day.”

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. A staff member told us, “[Person] has epilepsy, so during the night I carefully monitor [person’s] condition on the screen to make sure [person] is safe and comfortable.” The service also kept logs relating to any short-term infections and the need for antibiotics to monitor people’s health, as well as tracking and recording weights. People’s quality of life was also monitored to continuously improve this. For example, we saw effective processes were in place to monitor any changes made in response to suggestions, through a ‘You said, we did’ board. This included introducing more trips on the train, drama classes, and arts and crafts activities.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. We saw care plans clearly recorded how to support people to make choices using their preferred communication method. For example, 1 person preferred to use the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), a method of communicating through pictures rather than verbal words. The person’s care plan recorded, ‘[Person] will place a picture of [their] chosen activity for that shift. Ensure that [person] is given the choice of activity and that this is respected and adhered to where possible.’ Staff understood and respected people’s choices. A staff member told us, “I may use visual aids such as pictures, symbols, or communication board to help [people] express choices. I also use simple and clear language and sometimes break down information into smaller steps. I always adapt my communication style to each person, making sure they feel heard, respected, and involved in their daily choices and decisions.” People had DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) in place. Whilst decision-specific mental capacity assessments were in place to check whether people could consent to different areas of their own care and treatment, these documents required more detail. The manager told us they would act on our feedback.