Pentlands Nursing 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 and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

We asked relatives about their involvement when choosing Pentlands Nursing Home. One relative said, “My mother has known other people in the past who stayed there. There’s a very good continuity of staff, including the fantastic matron, so we had experience of the home, which was all good.”

Before people came to live at Pentlands Nursing Home, an assessment was completed of their care and support needs. The registered manager explained, “We need to show we can meet people’s needs. We have access to speech and language therapists and tapped into this for one person because of his communication. Other health conditions, like motor neurone disease, we have been able to set up a communication aid. The community Parkinson’s nurse also completes reviews for us.”

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.

Various assessments and monitoring tools were used to support staff to meet people’s identified needs. For example, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) identifies people’s risk of malnourishment or issues with their weight. People’s risk of developing pressure areas was assessed. Risks were regularly reviewed and monitored, with an electronic care planning system that included a ‘wound care pathway’. This enabled staff to monitor people’s risk and manage their skin integrity. The system also included types of wound dressings that were in stock and when they needed re-ordering.

With the recent hot weather, fluid monitoring records for each person enabled staff to oversee people’s fluid consumption to ensure they were sufficiently hydrated. Monitoring people’s hydration levels also mitigated their risk of urinary tract infections.

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 worked well with a range of health and social care professionals, including speech and language therapists, GP, and specialists in particular health conditions. We received feedback from 2 healthcare professionals. One said, “The nursing and care teams work collaboratively with external healthcare professionals, including myself, GPs, community nursing teams, specialist services and allied health professionals. Communication is proactive, professional and focused on achieving the best outcomes for residents. Staff provide accurate clinical information, maintain clear records and ensure assessments and care plans are shared appropriately, reducing unnecessary duplication and supporting continuity of care across services.”

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.

We observed people having their lunchtime meal in the communal lounge and in their bedrooms. The lounge area was multifunctional, being used for activities and dining. People were supported by staff in this area, with 6 people sat at tables and others in wheelchairs or mobility chairs. There was limited social interaction between people during lunch. We asked people what was being served for lunch, but they were unsure. Meals were brought down from the kitchen in batches. Modified diets were catered for. We observed 1 person being assisted by a staff member with their lunchtime meal in their bedroom. The interactions between the person and staff member were chatty, smiley and warm. The staff member assisted the person to sit up straight in bed. The person received a pureed diet due to swallowing difficulties. When they asked what was for pudding, the staff member did not know, but immediately walked down to the kitchen to find out. The staff member encouraged the person with drinks of juice and water, and said, “You need to drink because of the hot weather.”

A relative said, “The food is really excellent. The chefs go out of their way to make sure Mum is happy with her meals, including any special requirements, likes and dislikes. The variety and quality is good and Mum always looks forward to mealtimes. They seem to really care about making sure that meals are enjoyable as well as nutritious.”

People had access to a range of healthcare professionals. A nurse practitioner from the local medical centre visited weekly and the surgery was always contactable by phone according to staff. A relative told us, “Yes, there is good healthcare support.

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.

The home strived to achieve good outcomes through the care and support people received. A healthcare professional told us, “I have always found the team to be welcoming and willing to listen to advice. They do reach out for support when they feel they need it and always implement the care plan and advice given. Often when I come up with a plan, they’ve already considered and actioned most of it.” Another healthcare professional commented that the person they visited always appears to be well cared for and happy. They said, “Staff pop in and out and have a chat. It’s all so relaxed and friendly.”

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

We observed staff routinely asked people for their consent before any kind of intervention was undertaken.

Staff completed training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and demonstrated their understanding of this legislation regarding consent. One staff member said, “Somebody might have confusion today and might not be able to make a decision. It could be linked to a health condition, short-term memory loss or Alzheimer’s. We always listen to what people are saying.”

Records showed capacity assessments were completed for people regarding specific decisions such as consent to live at Pentlands Nursing Home. Where people were assessed as lacking capacity, decisions were made appropriately in their best interests.