Alcazar 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.

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.

The registered manager completed assessments prior to providing care to a new person. Assessments included information on people’s needs, preferences and communication methods. People and their relatives told us they were involved in the assessment process. The provider worked with other health and social care professionals to ensure they had the information required prior to visiting the person for the first time. A relative told us, “We have met the manager when my relative moved in to discuss what help my relative needed. Staff will call me if there is anything which needs to be changed.” They told us they had regular discussions with the registered manager to review the person’s care.

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.

Staff received training relevant to their roles and aligned with current best practice, this included training specific to people’s needs such us learning disabilities training, manual handling and catheter care. This included regular training updates in areas such as moving and handling, nutrition and hydration, and dementia awareness. One care worker told us, “The training is very good and helped me to understand better what I am required to do.”

Relatives told us staff seemed more knowledgeable and better prepared during visits due to the training they had received A relative said, “As far as I can see staff are well trained and definitely know how to support my relative best.”

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.

The provider shared information from assessments, risk reviews and GP or community nursing input with all relevant staff. This ensured external professionals were aware of people’s clinical needs and can work together with the service to achieve positive outcomes for people.

A relative told us, “Staff arrange medical appointments and escort my relative when required.” Another relative said, that staff who supported their relative around a specific health care task, had received training to ensure this task was carried out safely and effectively.

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.

Staff consistently worked with people to maximise their independence, choice and control, enabling them to achieve outcomes beyond those normally expected and, where possible, substantially reduce their ongoing need for care and support.

This impact was particularly evident when people returned from hospital. People and relatives consistently described how staff’s commitment, persistence and personalised support accelerated recovery and helped people regain skills and confidence in a short period. Following an operation, 1 person was supported and encouraged to follow clinicians’ guidance and rebuild their mobility. Staff provided additional support beyond the allocated care time, contributing to the person progressing to walking independently without mobility aids. Their relative said, “Staff let my relative do the things they want to do independently. After a fall in which my relative had a fracture and was admitted to hospital, they returned to the service, completed rehabilitation, and were supported to walk again.”

In another example, staff supported a person to become more independent with their own care. This led to a reduction in the number of staff support they needed. This was a meaningful and sustained outcome. The person required less direct care, retained greater control over daily life and was able to continue living independently at Alcazar Court. These examples demonstrated that staff did not simply maintain people’s wellbeing. Their proactive, enabling approach delivered improvements in mobility, confidence and independence.

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.

Care plans were personalised to ensure outcomes could be met, which meant people received safe and effective support. We saw evidence of regular reviews and the provider took immediate actions following any changes to people’s needs. One person said, “Staff support me the way I want. I am very happy here.”

Management checked records and liaised with staff to help ensure appropriate action was taken when monitoring and responding to people’s needs. One care worker said, “If I notice any changes in a person’s wellbeing, I write them down and tell the manager. It is important to share this information quickly.”

The provider used structured monitoring to show whether support was making a difference to people’s outcomes of care. In 1 example, following advice from a clinician staff introduced a system to monitor a person’s health outcomes which ensured the persons health care needs improved and input by the clinician reduced.

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

People were able to consent to their care as much as possible. They were involved in developing their own care plans, so they reflected what support the person wanted. One person said, “They [staff] will always ask me what I want to do and what to wear.”

Staff completed training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). They understood about people’s rights and how to ensure people could make informed choices.

When people did not have the mental capacity to make decisions, the provider had systems to ensure they discussed these with the person and their representatives to help make these decisions in accordance with the MCA and in people’s best interests.

Staff were aware of the importance of seeking people’s consent before each individual care task and the actions they would take if a person lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care. A care worker said, “I always explain what I am going to do and ask the person’s permission before supporting them. It is their choice.”