Ontra Healthcare

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 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.

People’s needs were thoroughly assessed using a person-centred approach. Comprehensive assessments were completed before people received care from the provider and were regularly reviewed. Care planning documents covered health, mental wellbeing, communication, daily living skills, behaviour, risks, and social needs. Assessments were detailed, up to date and reflective of each person’s history, preference, strengths and areas where support was required.

Staff worked in partnership with people to ensure their views and opinions were included in the development and review of care plans. This helped ensure care reflected what mattered most to people and supported their preferences and choices.

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 was aware of and implemented the Right support, Right care, and Right culture guidance. Staff completed ongoing training to keep their skills and knowledge current. Training included mandatory training on learning disability and autism and positive behaviour support.

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.

The provider had systems in place to enable staff to communicate with each other. For example, people had a communication book in their homes where staff wrote down new or important information staff needed to be aware of. One staff member we spoke with told us, “We have shift notes for every shift, and we have a communication book which we use. We check that every day. We communicate effectively between shifts and if anything changes it doesn’t slip under the radar. The manager will also inform us of any changes.”

We received positive comments from external professionals who told us staff and leaders worked effectively with them. One professional told us, “The management and staff team at Ontra Healthcare are very responsive to queries, and in communicating with the local authority in a timely manner, for instance arranging reviews when people’s needs change, reporting incidents and updating on people’s welfare.” This meant relevant information was shared appropriately and people’s needs were understood and responded to effectively.

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’s assessments and care plans identified people’s physical health, mental health and lifestyle needs, with guidance for staff on how to support healthier choices and manage potential risks. People were supported to attend routine and specialist healthcare appointments, including GP visits, dentistry and opticians. This meant people were able to access treatment without delay.

Staff promoted healthy eating and nutrition. People were encouraged to prepare meals, make shopping choices and develop cooking skills in line with their abilities. One staff member told us, “When supporting people with their weekly shopping, I encourage them to write their own shopping lists and take the lead while shopping. I guide them towards healthy food choices but also respect their right to make both wise and unwise decisions.”

People were supported to remain active and socially engaged, taking part in community activities. One person’s care plan contained guidance on activities they liked to do, these were incorporated into daily tasks to encourage the person to remain physically active.

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.

When people’s needs were assessed, it was agreed how many care calls they would need to provide care and monitor their health conditions.

Care records showed staff consistently documented people’s nutrition and hydration intake each day, and records showed staff were encouraging increased fluid intake to promote positive health outcomes.

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

The provider demonstrated effective application of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), ensuring people’s rights and decision-making abilities were appropriately assessed and respected. Capacity assessments were decision specific and clearly recorded, covering areas such as care arrangements and medicines. Where people were assessed as lacking capacity, best interest decisions were completed. These decisions were clearly documented, and people’s wishes and beliefs were considered.

Alternative methods of communication were considered by staff when obtaining consent, not just verbal consent. For example, 1 person’s care plan contained clear detailed guidance on how they use a particular hand gesture to withdraw consent, to ensure staff understood how the person expressed their consent.

Staff understood the importance of asking people for consent before supporting them with their care. One staff member we spoke with told us, “I always ask for consent, explaining what I am doing, and respecting the person’s choices and preferences.”