Lifeways Community Care (South London)

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 assessed people’s needs so they could deliver person-centred care. People discussed their needs with staff and were able to contribute their views on what good personal care looked like. When people wanted their relatives involved, staff also ensured they could give their views. Staff considered all this information which they used to develop person-centred care plans for each person they supported with their personal care. These were regularly reviewed and updated. People had regular individual meetings with key members of staff to discuss their care and request changes if they wanted.

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 their personal care and support from staff according to their individually assessed needs and wishes. People’s care plans were detailed and routinely reviewed and updated. Managers and staff worked well together to meet people’s needs and wishes in line with their care plan and recognised best care practice and standards. One person told us, “Staff who support me are good at following my care plan.” Staff understood each person’s needs and how these should be met. A member of staff said, “I know [name of person] likes to eat most food but they don’t like to wear anything pink.” Staff undertook a wide range of training, including specialist awareness training in relation to supporting people with learning disabilities. The provider ensured staff had information about best practice and legislation. Staff told us they had the information they needed and felt they could ask for guidance when they had questions. Staff had regular opportunities to meet with their manager and each other to discuss best practice.

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.

People were supported by managers and staff who worked well-together and with community-based care professionals and bodies. Systems were in place to make sure information was shared in a timely manner by everyone involved in people’s care. This all helped to ensure a joined up, consistent approach to delivering safe and effective care to people in line with their individually assessed needs and preferences. A staff member told us, “We work really well together as a team at [name of service].”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to fully 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.

Managers and staff assessed and planned for each person’s health care needs which included a personalised health care action plan and a hospital passport (A record that tells health and medical staff important details about a person’s needs). One person told us, “Staff support me to see all the health care professionals I need.” Another person added, “Staff arrange for me to have my eyes, ears and feet checked regularly and I often go and see my GP at the local surgery.”

Staff worked well with a range of community-based care and medical professionals and followed any advice they gave to enable people to live healthier lives. Staff were aware how to follow people’s agreed health care routines including, those related to nutrition and hydration. For example, staff followed the advice of speech and language therapists and provided texture modified foods to reduce the risk of people choking where this was appropriate.

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.

People experienced positive outcomes from the care and support they received from staff. People’s care and support was regularly reviewed to ensure this was meeting their assessed needs and expected outcomes. Systems were in place to monitor the care and support provided to people to ensure this remained effective. For example, the provider had introduced electronic systems to improve how they monitored care plans and the management of medicines.

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

People told us staff always asked for their consent and involved them in daily choices about the personal care and support they received at home. People were supported to understand their rights around consent before staff provided them with care and support.

The provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Managers and staff understood people’s capacity to make decisions about their care and support using people’s preferred method of communication. Care plans documented people’s mental capacity and decision‑making arrangements. If people could not make decisions and consent to their care, processes were in place to make sure any decisions would be made in their best interests.