Ability Healthcare Cannock Ltd

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• 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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. People and their relatives told us they had been fully involved in their assessment and setting up their care plans. A person told us, “I was involved with setting up my care plan at the hospital. It is adjusted regularly. I can always manoeuvre anything that I feel is necessary.” Staff told us they saw people’s assessments and care plans, and these guided them on how to support people and if things changed, they received an update. The registered manager told us they carried out an assessment before people started using the service, assessed peoples risks and developed care plans to meet their needs and preferences which were then available to staff using an online application. We saw assessments and care plans were in place to guide staff and staff could describe the guidance in the plans which helped them to provide effective care and support.

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 registered manager told us they used an online assessment and care planning system which enabled them to use evidence-based tools. We saw risk assessments were in place, charts to record peoples care and care plans which set out how to meet people’s needs. These included care plans for specific health conditions and charts for care delivery including skin integrity checks. Staff were aware of these tools and understood the guidance within them. Records showed these were completed accurately and staff were using the guidance effectively.

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. Staff told us they received updates if anything had changed in peoples care plans and were able to use the electronic system to read about people’s care. A staff member said, “I read the care plan in the car before I go into the call.” The registered manager told us there was an out of hours service and a handover from the staff to let everyone know anything which had 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 told us staff rarely needed to engage health professionals as relatives would do this, however they told us staff would relay any concerns or changes to relatives and advise on seeking the relevant support. Partners told us the service worked with other professionals. Staff understood people’s health needs and told us they liaised with relevant health professionals to support people. A staff member said, “[Person’s name] has insulin to control Diabetes, the district nurse is in charge of this.” The registered manager told us they liaised with other agencies when needed. We saw where needed people had been referred to their doctor, district nurses and occupational therapists.

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 and their relatives told us their care plans were reviewed regularly, and people’s lives had improved since using the service. A relative told us, “The staff even picked up a medicines issue where the hospital had not labelled something correctly and even I had missed that. They are just so good for [person’s name]” Another relative told us, “I would say [person’s name] has improved having the service and I know they feel comfortable with the staff coming into them.” The registered manager told us reviews took place every 3 months and people were fully involved in these, or sooner if needed and adjustments were made to care plans as needed.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People told us they were asked to make decisions about their care. A relative told us, “They all treat [person’s name] in a respectful way and always ask consent before they do things for them.” Staff could describe how they sought consent from people. The provider had a process in place to assess people’s capacity if needed and document decisions in their best interests. The registered manager told us staff had been trained in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and records supported what we were told.