Biffins Care Home

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 their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People’s needs were comprehensively assessed and included consideration of their communication needs. The service used initial paperwork provided by the local authority or commissioner to assess people’s suitability for admission to the service. The registered manager explained where possible they preferred to go and meet people and carry out their own preadmission assessments, however, this wasn’t always possible if people needed support urgently. The management team gathered as much information as possible from people, their relatives, and the local authorities to develop personalised care plans.

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 service used recognised tools to assess and monitor people’s needs and risks, for example, the service used the MUST tool. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is an evidence-based screening tool used to identify adults who are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, or obese. These tools and assessments had been reviewed regularly with the most current information about people.

People were supported to eat and drink what they wanted. One person told us that they enjoyed the food, and that they had access to the drinks of their choice. People were being supported to manage their dietary needs and associated risks.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff had access to the information they needed to understand people’s needs and deliver their care and support through a digital care planning software that they accessed through mobile devices. External professionals told us the service had a good understanding of people’s needs and that they always provided comprehensive details for people requiring support. Records showed staff worked well with other health and social care professionals, consulting them when appropriate.

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’s records showed they were supported to access a wide range of health and social care professionals, including GPs, the dementia team and the speech and language service. The service made referrals to appropriate health services when people’s needs changed. A medical professional told us “The service provides safe care and support to residents. Staff are attentive to residents’ needs and appropriately escalate clinical concerns in a timely manner.” Another said, “The management are approachable, reasonable and are very proactive with any medical needs that may arise with the residents.”

People’s relatives told us they felt their family members were supported to manage their health needs. One relative explained, “The GP visits the home every Friday and if [family member] needs to be seen the staff sort this out. When [family member] fell, the staff called the paramedics who came and checked [family member] over. The paramedics did what they would have done in AE. [Family member] hates going to hospital and this meant [they] didn’t have to go.”

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’s progress was monitored through their care plans and assessments. For example, staff kept track of people’s weights and used this information to spot any emerging risks and make timely referrals to relevant professionals when needed.

We saw several examples where people’s health and wellbeing had improved since moving into the service. One person told us they felt their health had improved since their admission. A visiting professional also said they had observed positive changes in people, explaining, “Following a few weeks of care and encouragement, the person started eating again, started allowing personal care assistance and has actually thrived during their time at Biffins Care Home.” A relative also shared similar feedback, saying, “The staff know [family member] really well. [Family member] wouldn’t speak towards the end of the time [they were] at home, but now there’s such a difference since moving into Biffins. [Family member] says quite a few words. [Family member is] happy with everything at Biffins.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People’s care plans detailed people’s ability to consent or make decisions, and the support they needed to make decisions. There were best interest decisions in place for people, these were person-centred and decision specific. Staff had received training on mental capacity and we observed staff gaining people’s consent before providing them with support.