120 Furber Road

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 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 always made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

A comprehensive assessment was completed before people moved to the service involving other health and social care providers and those important to the person. The pre-assessment contained details of the person, their likes and dislikes, health conditions and what was important to them. People and those important to them were encouraged to visit the home to enable them to make a decision on whether to move to the service and enable them to get to know the people living at 120 Furber Road and the staff team.

Care plans were developed from the initial assessments and were regularly reviewed and updated as people’s needs changed.

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 management team and the staff fully understood ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance and supported people in line with this. For example, people were actively involved in the planning of their care and setting monthly goals. They were supported to follow their hobbies and interests. People told us about the varied activities that took place including going to church, going to concerts, being an active gym member and social clubs.

People’s nutritional and hydration needs were met in line with current standards and evidence-based guidance. Professional advice had been sought where concerns had been raised with swallowing and choking risks. Staff were aware of the guidelines in place for each person.

People had enough to eat and drink to prevent malnutrition or dehydration and were supported to manage their dietary needs and associated risks. People confirmed they were involved in the planning of the menus on a weekly basis. People’s care plans included what they liked and disliked and the support they needed with eating and drinking. This included any known allergies.

Staff received training in line with Skills for Care and accredited with the British Institute for Learning Disabilities. Staff completed the Oliver McGowan mandatory training which aims to provide the health and care workforce with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability.

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.

A social care professional spoke positively about how the service was supporting a person to move to the service. They said, “I have found the team at Furber Road responsive and supportive. In supporting the move, they have been person centred and have supported this person to have a transition and got to know the person.” Health passports were in place to share with other professionals along with one-page profiles of each person enabling them to get to know the individuals and what was important to them.

Staff worked well with health and social care professionals and followed their advice when supporting people. Feedback from professionals about the service was positive.Comments included, “Well organised,” “Staff know people well,” and “Stable team.”

A relative confirmed they were kept informed of any medical appointments or concerns and could attend health care appointments alongside the person. They praised the staff on how they had got to know them and their loved one and how team had fostered positive relationships.

Staff confirmed daily handovers took place to ensure care was planned and they were kept informed of any changes. Staff told us they could access people’s care plans enabling them to keep up to date with what was happening in the life of the person they were supporting.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home, there was a positive culture, and the team was supportive of each other.

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 spoke positively about the activities that they were taking part in to keep healthy including going for walks and attending a local gym. People’s wellbeing was considered and activities were very much planned with them ensuring these were enjoyed.

People had access to health services. This included being registered with a GP who visited or spoke to the staff on a weekly basis. People were also supported to attend the GP practice for annual health reviews and routine appointments when needed. People were registered with an optician and had oral health care plans and were supported to see the dentist.

A podiatrist visited the service every six weeks to support people with their foot health. A health care professional told us, “They take actions quickly when concerns arise. The staff are approachable and respond to communication from other professional’s capacity.”

People’s health conditions were recorded in their care plans and contained information about how to recognise symptoms and what actions to take should a person become unwell. Staff had completed training on recognising the early signs of a person being unwell and how this should be monitored for example taking people’s blood pressure or oxygen stats so this could be shared with other health professionals. A poster containing guidance was available to recognise the early signs of sepsis.

One person was being supported with early screening for dementia, and it was evident the staff were supporting the person ensuring their environment was safe and continued to meet their needs. This included sensory equipment to stimulate communication.

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.

The provider had recently introduced a new electronic care planning system. People’s care plans had moved to the new system. These were being reviewed annually or as people’s needs changed.

Daily care records were also electronic and consisted of drop-down boxes for staff to complete. The daily records lacked person centred information. For example, when a person was supported with an activity, the level of detail was minimal and only included the name of the activity and whether the person was engaged or not.

One person had complained of back pain and a conversation with a GP was recorded however, there was no other entries in the person’s daily records on how the person was feeling pre or post the GP call. Staff had recorded this in the house’s daily handover record. This information would be lost over time and meant that staff or health professionals could not review the person’s wellbeing. Some of the electronic daily records included information about repositioning a person and ensuring bedsides were safe, however there was no one in the service that required this type of support.

This was discussed with the provider and the registered manager who recognised the limitations of the electronic care planning process. Additional training was being cascaded to all managers working for Milestones on making improvements in this area and the organisation’s expectations of record keeping. The registered manager provided assurances this would be addressed sending us a detailed action plan and the guidance that had been developed for staff.

A relative confirmed they were involved in care plan reviews and consulted on a regular basis about the welfare of their relative.

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

People's care was provided in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff had received training in the MCA and were able to describe to us how they gave people choice and respected people's decisions within their day-to-day life.A member of staff told us, “I ensure care is person-centred by involving individuals in decisions about their daily routines and activities.”

People were observed being asked throughout our visit how they wanted to be supported and involved in decisions about what to eat and how to spend their time.

Where people lacked the capacity to make certain decisions, assessments had been undertaken and best interest decisions made on people's behalf. Relatives and health and social care professionals had been consulted and involved in the process.