Amara Care Limited

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Assessments were up-to-date and staff understood people’s current needs. People’s care needs were routinely reviewed when required and, in all cases, on a regular basis. Assessments considered each person’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs to support the best possible outcomes and these were updated in people’s care plans.

Staff were familiar with people’s communication styles and needs and we observed staff changing the way they communicated with people depending on their individual needs. For example, one person used a modified version of Makaton to communicate, and staff were able to identify what the person was asking for.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them.

Leaders had improved their knowledge of best practice guidance for supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people, including right support, right care, right culture. They had built this into everyday practice, helping people live confident and positive lives where they were encouraged to make their own choices. Where people had complex health and care conditions, there was guidance in place of how to support these such as appropriate epilepsy support plans.

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.

Care plans clearly set out the signs and symptoms of each health condition, and the action staff should take if concerns arose, enabling staff to provide timely and effective support.

Records showed that care plans included detailed guidance on how staff should proactively manage people’s health needs. In addition, the provider had strengthened partnership working with healthcare professionals. For example, they worked with a person’s GP to arrange a liaison nurse to support an individual with complex health needs.

This approach supported coordinated care, improved staff understanding of health conditions, and helped ensure people received more consistent and responsive support.

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.

People were supported to see healthcare professionals when needed. Records showed good communication with GPs, community nurses and other services, so any health concerns were picked up early. People with a learning disability were encouraged and supported to access annual health checks and any outcomes were recorded.

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.

There were systems in place to ensure people’s needs were identified, assessed and reviewed. Where additional monitoring was identified, it was implemented and used in way to ensure positive outcomes were achieved for people. For example, it was identified that a person required ongoing support with their oral care, and this was clearly documented to ensure they received support with this.

People were supported to make decisions about their care and treatment, and their rights in relation to consent were respected. Care was delivered in line with relevant legislation and guidance, including the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

Since the last assessment, the provider had made improvements to ensure practice was consistent with the MCA. Where people lacked capacity, decisions were made in their best interests and any restrictions on their liberty were lawfully authorised through the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The provider was actively working with local authorities to ensure any required DoLS authorisations were appropriately requested and kept under review.

People who had capacity and were not subject to restrictions were supported and encouraged to maintain their independence. For example, one person was enabled to access the local community independently. Staff had received training in the MCA and demonstrated an understanding of their responsibilities in supporting people to make decisions and promoting least restrictive practice.