The Dales

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.

Staff made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People received person centred support which was tailored to them. Care plans supported good practice where clear and up to date guidance was provided to staff. People were included and consulted about their care needs and how they would like to receive support. Care plans included key information about people’s wishes, daily routines and areas of interest. Relatives told us, “We were involved with the reviewing of the care plan,” and another said, “I have been involved in the care plan reviews. They happen every 6 months.”

Staff 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 enjoyed the quality of food and drink. The dining experience was positive with the tables set to a high standard with menus and example meals available to help people choose their meal. One person said, “This restaurant is very good. Is it open again tomorrow?” Staff monitored the amount of food and drinks people had to monitor for signs of dehydration and malnutrition. Kitchen staff had a good working relationship with care staff to understand changes in a person’s health which may impact on the texture and quantity of food they needed.

Staff 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 worked quickly and flexibly with different services to ensure people had a joined up approach to the support they received from external professionals. As there was a stable staff team, staff knew people very well and could confidently handover information. Staff were supported by detailed and person centred care plans to ensure hospital passports gave detailed information about the person’s life, people involved in their life and their support needs.

Staff 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 were supported to access the health and care support they required. GPs and advanced practitioners visited the home regularly and through staff monitoring, they were skilful in relaying important information about the person’s health.

Staff 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. There were routine monitoring systems in place to ensure people’s physical health, mental health and emotional wellbeing were at their optimum. There are regular meetings to monitor people’s hydration needs, to respond quickly as the situation changes. For example, one person had become unwell and nursing staff liaised with the local hospice to ensure the person received the specialist end of life care they needed.

Staff told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff ensured people always consented to their care. People had consent forms within their care records. For those people who were unable to make their own decisions, there were mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions in place to support decision making on the person’s behalf. Staff always asked for consent at the point of providing support and staff respected people’s right to decline.