Heatherdale Residential 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 inspection, we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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 was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The provider used a computerised care management system. Assessments were completed and care plans formulated to ensure people’s needs and preferences were identified and met.

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’s nutritional needs were met. The provider used a specialist supplier of frozen meals. People generally spoke positively about the meals. We attended a ‘Residents and relatives’ meeting,’ 1 person said they would like more salads. We spoke with the kitchen technician who told us that this request had already been actioned. We spent time with people at lunchtime in “The Pantry” which was a light and spacious dining area that had been decorated in the style of a café. The mealtime was calm and unrushed. Staff supported people with their meals and drinks.

Staff worked together well as a team. Health and social care professionals spoke positively about the care people received at the home. Comments included, “Staff are always polite and responsive when I contact the home by phone or email and they refer to our team for advice appropriately in line with our referral criteria” and “Collectively we find Heatherdale a lovely environment for residents. Staff are professional and it is a great place for our student nurses to get involved in patient care."

Staff worked together as a team. We observed positive interactions not only between care workers and people, but also other members of the staff team. A relative told us, “Everyone fits in as part of a team - they fit together as part of a unit.”

Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control.

A health and social care professional told us, “When I have worked with [name of deputy manager] she seems to have a good understanding of the resident's needs and the issues that they were having. This helps me to look at options to support them and come up with a solution to meet the resident's needs.” Another health and social care professional said, “[They have] a very good awareness of when to refer to our service and how to apply our advice when given.”

Staff monitored people’s care to help ensure outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met the expectations of people themselves.

We heard examples and reviewed photos of how being at the home had improved people’s wellbeing. A relative told us, “He has much better clarity now, as he was more confused before coming here.”

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

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The MCA requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA. In care homes, and some hospitals, this is usually through MCA application procedures called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA, and whether any conditions on authorisations to deprive a person of their liberty had the appropriate legal authority and were being met.

DoLS applications had been submitted to the local authority for authorisation, in line with legal requirements. A relative told us, “[Name of registered manager] took the time to explain about DoLS and what it meant for my [relative] in here, this gives real support to relatives about the process.”

Relatives also told us staff asked for consent before care was carried out. A relative said, “They ask for consent. If there is anything important, they ask me as I have power of attorney for her.”