Care South Home Care Services Dorset

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

The service offered various types of assistance to people which included supporting people to return home after a hospital stay. This meant some people only required support for a short time. The service had hospital-based staff who assessed people before they were discharged home. This meant people were involved in the assessment of their needs to enable them to receive care or treatment that has the best possible outcomes.

Care plans were reviewed to reflect changes in people’s needs, wishes and health conditions.

Staff told us they knew people well and understood how to use the service’s electronic care planning system to locate necessary information on how to support people.

The service 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.

Staff and the registered manager demonstrated an awareness of people’s care and support needs.

Records showed people were supported with food and drinks in line with their preferences and dietary needs.Daily notes were detailed and informative.

The service 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.

Relatives told us they were kept informed and felt involved in their family members’ care. A relative said staff supported a person with referrals to doctors and other health professionals if required and had a good understanding of the person’s health condition.

Health and social care professionals were complimentary about the service. Comments included, “The service demonstrates a strong understanding of the care and support needs of the individuals they work with. They are proactive in engaging with other agencies to ensure a holistic approach to care delivery.… They are responsive to any issues raised and work collaboratively to ensure that transitions of care are well-managed and clearly communicated to individuals,” and “Overall the organisation is responsive when we have asked for a meeting to review how things are going or discuss an issue.”

Care plans had information about people’s health conditions and were updated to reflect people’s changing needs. Records of conversations with health and social care professionals who were involved in people's care, were recorded on the provider’s electronic system. This meant staff had an overview of people’s health needs and involvement from healthcare professionals.

Staff confirmed they would be informed of any significant changes to person’s needs before attending their home. This had a positive impact on people’s lives.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Staff told us they supported people to remain as independent as possible and in charge of their own care. The service was responsive to people’s changing needs and communicated effectively with health and social care professionals.

The service 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.

An electronic care planning system was used to allocate staff to care visits, and update care records which allowed for effective monitoring of the care provided.Records confirmed staff monitored people’s care and treatment. For example, staff recorded people’s fluid and nutrition intake when required. Such observations and associated daily notes were audited to ensure outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Any concerns about people's health and welfare were reported to the management team. Where needed, a member of the management team would make referrals to health care professionals.

A staff member said, “We can raise concerns, and the office action them. For example, if I find out that time allocated to a certain client is not enough and the needs of the clients require more time, the office assess it, and action is taken.”

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

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and told us they respected people's choices and understood the importance of this. One staff member said, “I have completed training on MCA, and this training is important in my role as it provides guidelines that safeguard everyone involved with decision making for everyone with and without mental capacity.” Another staff member told us, “I always include the person in every decision, from how they would like their personal care to be delivered, to what to eat, and what to wear for the day. I read the care plan description of the task which will give me an idea of the choices to offer regarding the person’s preferences. For example, regarding dressing or a meal. I offer several options according to person’s preference, I will show 2 or 3 different options for the person to choose from, always supporting the choice made.”

People confirmed they were asked for their consent and offered choices. A relative confirmed staff were very friendly and always asked for consent.

Consent was sought from people in accordance with the MCA.The registered manager was in the process of organising additional training to support staff with the MCA.

Where necessary, people with legal authority or responsibility can make decisions within the requirements of the MCA. The service had an effective system in place to ensure they had an overview of who can lawfully act on person’s behalf.