SENSE - 18 Water Gate

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.

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 comprehensively assessed and included consideration of their physical, mental health, sensory, social and communication needs. A relative told us, “Overall, they support [loved one] very well, as they are one-to-one with a staff member who tends to all [loved one’s] needs, and the nightly checks if [loved one] needs to be supported with personal care. They are experienced and I’m sure they have lots of up-to-date training.”

Ongoing reviews were carried out by staff with the right skills and focused on people’s strengths. A visiting professional told us care logs and risk assessments were all up to date.

Assessment tools were used to effectively support the assessment of people’s health and care needs or to maximise their involvement, and these were used by staff with the rightunderstanding and skills. Where appropriate, families, carers, advocates, professionals and other stakeholders were meaningfully involved in the assessment of people’s needs and reviews. A professional told us, “I am very happy with the care [person] receives. [Person] has good relations with staff and others living at the service.”

Where possible, people were supported and included in reviews by using their preferred communication methods. An example included use of Sign Supported English (SSE). People had access to independent advocacy support if needed.

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Supporting people to live healthier lives during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Monitoring and improving outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

Peoples’ rights and decisions around consent were understood and respected by staff and the service. Staff understood the importance of making sure people were aware of what they are consenting to and the importance of obtaining consent before they delivered care, support or treatment. Where people were unable to consent Mental Capacity Act assessments and best interest decisions were in place. A professional told us, “Mental Capacity Assessments are in place and both relatives and professionals were included in major decisions [about care needs].”

Relatives we spoke with gave positive feedback on how their family members were supported by staff when making their own choices about their care. One relative told us “[Loved one] lets staff know what they want, mostly by key words.” Relatives told us they participated in best interest meetings when needed and felt the staff all worked in the best interest of their family member.

Staff we spoke with showed a good understanding of making sure people were able to make their own choices wherever possible. One member of staff said, “It’s about giving people choice and remembering just because they may not be able to make big decisions about their care, they should be given the chance to make simple decisions like what they want to eat, wear or spend their time.”

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The MCA requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible.