Ellwood Place Dementia Care 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 because they checked and discussed people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. Assessments were completed before people moved to the service. This included consultation with professionals, the person and their relatives. Where available, information from the local authority would be used to contribute to the process. Assessment forms were detailed and were accessible for staff to start supporting the person. Information included consideration of people’s communication needs. For example, for one person, staff were learning various words in the persons first language to support them and these were being recorded in their care plan and this was resulting in staff being able to provide more person-centred care.

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. Staff were using evidence-based systems to meet people’s health care needs, which included assessing and monitoring risks of malnutrition, skin integrity and continence. For example, repositioning charts, food diaries and fluid balance charts were in place for people who needed them and were being completed by staff. This meant people were supported effectively when there were changes to their health care needs as managers and staff were routinely recording and monitoring and reviewing when changes occurred.

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. Each person had detailed information which accompanied them if they were to stay in hospital. This included ‘need to know information’ regarding risks, diet and medication. When professionals visited the home, staff kept a detailed log of their visits and any action taken.

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 offered a wide range of food and staff supported people to choose appropriate foods. Where people had capacity to make their own decisions, this was written into their care plan. Relatives were consistently positive about how managers and staff supported their loved ones to manage health and wellbeing. One told us how they appreciated staffs prompt action, “They helped us to get the [medical professional] in for an urgent referral.”

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. Staff used a range of appropriate clinical observations charts to monitor people’s progress and identify when professionals were required to provide additional care and treatment. For example, staff told us how by monitoring people’s fluid intake, they could ensure concerns were managed effectively. This meant people were supported to achieve consistently good outcomes.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff demonstrated they understood the mental capacity act and their responsibilities. Staff consistently recognised the importance of gaining people’s consent and treating people as individuals. One staff member told us, “It’s important to get to know the person and what’s important in their life to be able to chat with them and gain their trust”. Staff were observed supporting people at a mealtime. They ensured they considered people’s choices and gained consent prior to any intervention they made. For example, people were asked where they would like to sit and whether they wanted staff to assist them with eating their meal.