MacIntyre Ampthill Support

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 inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to 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 were effective because they assessed their needs when they started using the service and reassessed these regularly. When new people started living at the service, their needs were thoroughly assessed by the staff team to make sure their needs could be met. The staff team worked with people to get to know them and continually update their care plans and risk assessments. As a result of staff support people had positive experiences when they started using the service. Other people had been using the service for many years. Staff and the management team knew them well, noticing any changes in their support needs and promptly reassessing them. One person said, ‘‘I like living here. I have lived here for years.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘It was difficult for [family member] to move in but they have settled well thanks to the staff team.’’

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 kept up to date with best practice by attending forums and learning events. They shared this with the staff team. The staff team spoke knowledgably about their training in area such as supporting people living with a learning disability. The management team fully understood RSRCRC guidance and supported people in line with this. For example, they ensured people discussed their goals and ambitions, were supported to follow their interests and had regular opportunities to discuss they were happy, or not, with their support at the service (including how they were getting on with other people they lived with). One person said, ‘‘I like [other person].’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] do a great job. They are doing everything they can to make sure [family member] is as happy as possible.’’

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff were positive and complimentary about their colleagues and how well they worked together. They told us they pulled together to support each other to help ensure people received the best care possible. They shared information with each other on a regular basis and worked well with each other across all of the different ‘supported living settings’ at the service. Staff worked well with other professionals such as GP’s and nurses and followed their advice when it came to supporting people. The management and staff team had also developed ‘passports’ for people to take with them to appointments which gave those supporting them essential information about how they communicated and what was important to them. Feedback from professionals about the service was positive. One relative said, ‘‘The staff all seem to get on well with one another. [Family member’s] home has a real ‘family feel’ to it.’’

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 be healthy in line with their support needs. For example, where necessary they recorded how and what people were eating and drinking to make sure this was in line with their identified support needs. Staff prompted and supported people to have regular exercise. One person happily showed us a piece of equipment they were using to count how many steps they were doing. Another person told us staff were going to support them to go to the gym and to swim. A relative told us, ‘‘I think staff try their best to promote healthy food choices. [Family member] has chosen and is excited to start their ‘diet’ and staff share the menus and pictures with me.’’

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. Staff knew people well and knew how to support them to achieve their health-related outcomes. The management team reviewed people’s care records to make sure outcomes were being achieved. For example, one person had been supported to continue to access the community independently which meant a lot to their mental health and wellbeing. Other people were being supported to lose weight and take part in regular exercise to promote their health and wellbeing. One person said, ‘‘I like going for walks with staff.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘I think the staff have the best interests of [family member] at heart and they are in a good place because of it.’’

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff were trained in the MCA and knew the importance of this legislation and making sure people were asked for consent whilst being supported. The management team completed assessments and made decisions in people’s best interests if they lacked the full capacity to make decisions themselves. One person said, ‘‘I have choices here and can do what I want.’’ A family member told us, ‘‘[Staff] always act in [family member’s] best interests and discuss anything that needs discussing with me.’’