Ashville Court

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.

Assessments of people's needs had been carried out prior to people using the service and involved the person and, where appropriate, their relatives and healthcare professionals. This ensured the service was able meet the person's needs and preferences. Relatives confirmed they felt involved and well informed about the care and needs of their family members.

Staff knew people very well and were responsive to people's needs and concerns that were acted upon.

Relative’s feedback included, “We do talk about [name of person’s] care plan; the staff will talk to me about it. I’m heavily involved in their 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.

The provider ensured regular monitoring of people’s health needs took place and used nationally recognised assessment tools such as MUST (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool) and FRASE (FallsRiskAssessmentScalefortheElderly) to identify where people may be at increased risk of weight loss and falls, and any associated complications. Where risks to people were identified, the service took appropriate steps to mitigate these and refer to the appropriate medical teams and GP, if required.

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 worked with multidisciplinary teams to achieve the best outcomes for people.

Care plans were person-centred and detailed people’s holistic clinical needs and referrals to healthcare professionals were made in a timely way. The provider maintained strong, professional relationships with healthcare partners such as district nurses, and had a weekly call with the local GP to review people’s health and well-being. This proactive, integrated approach consistently achieved the best possible outcomes for people.

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 to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People were supported to access regular health appointments, medication monitoring and review meetings.

Care records captured the support people required with their health needs. Staff understood people’s health needs and were aware of what action they should take when there was any deterioration in an individual’s health. For example, staff knew how to escalate concerns and seek medical advice as required.

The registered manager had completed additional training which supported staff with malnutrition management and promoted the consumption of a healthy diet rather than medically fortified drink supplementation. Some people had already benefitted from a healthier diet at the service, and less supplementation, which had resulted in positive increases in their weight.

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.

Care plan audits were completed frequently to monitor progress and identify any changes in people’s needs. Where updates were required, action was taken promptly. Monitoring tools were used to identify and monitor emerging healthcare needs and external healthcare professionals were regularly involved in improving people’s outcomes. For example, a MUST (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool) was used monthly when service user’s weights were recorded. The tool created a score which indicated whether a service user required closer monitoring or a referral to other health professionals, such as dieticians.

Updates were shared promptly with all staff via the service’s electronic care system, to ensure staff were always up to date with any changes.

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

People’s capacity was assessed, and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were followed. Staff and managers understood the processes involved when people were unable to make decisions independently.

Staff received training in MCA and understood about asking for consent before carrying out tasks.

A member of staff told us, “If a person refused care, I’d respect their decision and leave their room.”