ExtraCare Charitable Trust Humber 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.

The provider carried out comprehensive assessments before people began using the service to ensure their individual needs, preferences and goals could be met.

Initial assessments were reviewed within the first 6 weeks of care commencing to ensure people’s needs were being met as planned and to identify and address any issues or changes required.

People told us they were involved in their care planning, and relatives told us management listened and reviewed their family members care plans regularly to make sure they were reflective of their current needs. One relative told us, “The care plan is reviewed every time there is a change. We are happy with the care plan.”

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.

People received care and treatment that reflected their individual health needs. Care plans contained very detailed, condition-specific guidance to help staff provide safe and effective support. This included information about how health conditions affected each person, signs and symptoms to monitor, and descriptions of what a good day and a bad day might look like for them. This helped ensure staff understood people's needs and could respond appropriately when their health changed.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's health conditions and how to support them safely. They were able to describe the care and monitoring people required and how they would respond to any concerns. This showed staff used the guidance available to provide care tailored to each person.

The service worked effectively with healthcare professionals to ensure people received timely treatment and support. Relatives told us staff sought medical advice when required, maintained positive relationships with local healthcare services and supported people to access reviews of their treatment and medicines. This helped ensure people's health needs were monitored and changes to treatment were made when necessary to improve outcomes.

External healthcare professionals spoke positively about the quality of care provided. One healthcare professional told us staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and their healthcare needs.

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.

Relatives told us staff worked effectively with healthcare professionals to meet people's needs. One relative described how staff liaised with GP’s and pharmacy services to ensure their loved one received timely medical support and appropriate medicines management. They told us, “The staff have a great relationship with the doctor, it works.”

Staff worked well with each other and were complimentary of the culture within the team. One staff member told us, “It’s teamwork, it's important. The support they give you is great. Everyone is willing to help you."

External healthcare professionals told us that the team at Humber Court worked well with them. One healthcare professional told us, "Staff are knowledgeable about the residents, and are really helpful. [Team Leader Coach] has always been really good; they are always really helpful whenever we have knocked on their door." The Team Leader Coach is a senior operational role within the service who supports the registered manager.

Care plans contained details of other healthcare professionals involved in peoples’ care. This helped staff understand who was involved in supporting each person and enabled them to work effectively with other professionals, supporting joined-up care and continuity when people’s needs changed.

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 received support to maintain and improve their health and wellbeing. Staff monitored people’s health where required, for example people’s weight and oxygen saturation levels, and supported people to access input from a range of multidisciplinary health professionals.

Care plans provided staff with information to effectively support people. This included supporting people with modified diets to eat safely, with clear detailed instructions, for example on the correct use of thickener.

Staff supported people’s emotional wellbeing and encouraged them to remain active and engaged in daily life. One relative said, “They help with [person’s] wellbeing, and they encourage them to go to the communal area for activities.”

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.

Staff worked with people to identify, monitor and achieve their individual goals and desired outcomes. During people’s initial assessments and reviews, staff asked people about the goals they wanted to achieve and recorded these in their care plans. Staff also monitored people’s changing needs and acted where their current care arrangements were no longer achieving appropriate outcomes. For example, when 1 person’s needs had increased, management sought input from relevant health professionals and explored different options to continue supporting them safely. When these measures were no longer sufficient, the registered manager contributed to a formal review with external professionals and provided information about the person’s needs and outcomes. Staff involved the person and those important to them throughout discussions and supported them to understand and prepare for a move to a setting better able to meet their needs.

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

Most people living at Humber Court had capacity to make their own decisions and had consented to their care. Staff understood the importance of seeking consent before providing support and had received training in the Mental Capacity Act to help them uphold people's rights and make lawful decisions.

Care plans provided staff with clear guidance on supporting people to make their own decisions, including explaining each step of their care and support. Staff were reminded to respect people’s choices and decisions where they had the capacity to make them.

Mental capacity assessments were in place; however, some did not clearly demonstrate that capacity had been assessed in relation to a specific decision. The registered manager responded promptly to our feedback and began reviewing and updating the assessments to ensure they were decision-specific and appropriately reflected people’s ability to make individual decisions about their care and support.