Excelcare Agency Ltd

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 assessed people’s need and choices. They met with people and their relatives to discuss how they wanted to be cared for. Assessments were detailed and incorporated guidance, instructions for staff and information about what mattered most to people being cared for. People told us they felt involved in making decisions about their care. A relative commented, “The manager came to see us and talked about what we wanted. They created a plan and we were able to give our views.” The provider carried out regular reviews and updated information when people’s needs changed.

People received evidence-based care and support. Staff undertook a range of training relevant to their roles. The provider had developed guidance which reflected legislation and best practice relating to different conditions and how to care for people. This had been created in easy-to-understand formats and was provided to both staff and people using the service. This helped to ensure staff knew processes to follow. Care plans included clear and detailed information to help staff deliver evidence-based care.

There were systems to ensure staff worked well together. Staff told us they were able to contact managers whenever they needed to ask for advice or update them. They explained they also took part in individual supervision and team meetings to discuss their work and the service. Minutes of meetings showed that managers supported staff to understand about different procedures. Staff shared information about people with those who needed to see this. For example, external professionals, relatives and managers.

Staff supported people to stay healthy. The manager included information about people’s healthcare needs within care records. There were guides for staff to help them understand about certain conditions. These included signs and symptoms to watch out for and how to deliver best practice care. Relatives explained staff monitored people’s wellbeing and health. They alerted them to any concerns or changes in people’s condition. Staff helped people with food and drink when this was part of their planned care. They ensured people had access to drinks and food when needed. A relative told us that staff supported 1 person to follow an exercise plan (developed by professionals) and that this enabled the person to stay active and mobile.

Staff monitored people and shared any concerns with the person, their relatives and managers. Staff kept records of care provided. Managers checked these and asked people for feedback to make sure staff were following care plans. The provider helped people to create personal objectives about how they wanted to be cared for and things they wanted to achieve. Managers reviewed these objectives with people to make sure they were satisfied with care and support.

People consented to their care and treatment. During the initial assessment of their needs, the registered manager assessed people’s mental capacity to make decisions. They consulted with the person and their representatives. When people were able to, they had signed agreement to their care plans. For people who lacked the mental capacity to understand and decide about their care, the provider liaised with their legal representatives and relatives to make decisions in their best interests. People and their relatives told us they were asked for consent and were able to make decisions about their care. The provider had created a guide about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and shared this with people and their relatives to help them understand their rights.