Zach's Care

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 Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to Good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

People’s needs were assessed when they started using the service. The staff team worked well with each other and with other professionals to help people stay healthy and achieve their health-related outcomes and goals. People were supported in line with the MCA and staff were trained in this.

This service scored 71 (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 did not always make sure people’s care and treatment were effective because they did not always include information about people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs in people’s support and care plans. A detailed assessment process, including meeting with people to discuss their support needs before they started using the service was in place. However, information discussed with people was not always used to inform people’s care plans and risk assessments in detail. The management team took action during our inspection to update care plans and make them more detailed. Staff told us they got to know people before supporting them and that the management team would support them directly to make sure people’s care needs could be met. People and their relatives were positive about their experiences when they started using the service. One family member said, ‘‘[Registered manager] came and met with us and discussed everything we wanted. They made sure the staff followed through on this.’’

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 management team kept up to date with best practice by attending forums and learning events. They shared this with the staff team. The staff team spoke knowledgably about their training in area such as supporting people living with dementia and specific health conditions. This meant people could be supported with best practice. One relative said, ‘‘[Staff] have changed our outlook on what we expect care to be like. They are on top of everything.’’

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff were positive and complimentary about their colleagues and how well they worked together. They told us they pulled together to cover care visits or support each other to help ensure people received the best care possible. Staff worked well with other professionals such as GP’s and nurses and followed their advice when it came to supporting people. Feedback from professionals about the service was positive. One relative said, ‘‘The staff team always have a smile on their face when they work together and seem more like friends than work colleagues.’’

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 supported people to be healthy in line with their support needs. For example, they supported people to eat and drink and recorded this to make sure they were supported safely with their nutrition. Staff supported people to take regular exercise to support them with their health conditions. The management team audited people’s care records to ensure they were being supported to stay healthy in line with their support needs. One family member said, ‘‘I am confident the staff know how to keep [family member] healthy. They have got better since the staff have been coming.’’

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. Staff knew people well and knew how to support them to achieve their health-related outcomes. The management team reviewed people’s care records to make sure outcomes were being achieved. One person had been supported to not go back to hospital following returning home and this meant a lot to the person and their family.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff were trained in the MCA and knew the importance of this legislation and making sure people were asked for consent whilst being supported. The management team completed assessments and made decisions I people’s best interests if they lacked the full capacity to make decisions themselves. One person said, ‘‘I definitely make all the decisions in relation to my care. The staff always check to make sure I am happy with what they are doing.’’