Caremark (Barnsley)

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 67 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

At the time of our assessment, more robust and person centred care plans and risk assessments were being developed. Meaning some people had thorough care plans in place, whilst some people’s records did not contain enough individualised information. We also found some information to be difficult to find, lacking a photograph, containing conflicting information and overdue review. For example, one person's record did not detail a recent bereavement they had. This was a recording concern, we found this person had received support from staff through this bereavement and the service had requested extra funded care hours, to ensure they did not become isolated in the community. The provider had recognised this and was continuing to make changes, to ensure all records were up to date and regularly reviewed. People's needs were assessed prior to them using the service. People had access to their care plans and told us they were involved in their care planning. A person said, “I have a file with lots of information.” A relative said, “They have changed the care plan a few times, due to [name] change in needs.”

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. External professionals were involved in people's care, to ensure people received appropriate care and support. For example, we found a person was recently referred to professionals following a health deterioration. Staff had access to communication apps which provided evidence based and best practice guidance. For example, staff had recently been involved in 'nutrition and hydration week' and a staff meeting had concentrated on best practice regarding catheter care. A staff member said, “Care plans are developed with service users, families, and healthcare professionals, and updated regularly.”

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. Staff told us the team worked well together to meet people's needs effectively. A staff member said, “Staff morale is generally good. There’s a supportive team culture, and everyone works well together. It’s a great environment to work in. I enjoy making a positive impact in people’s lives.” People told us staff knew them well. A relative said, “They go over and above. A staff member came back one day to do [name’s] hair, ready for us going out.” Records evidenced professionals were positive about how staff worked with them to meet people's needs. For example, a professional recently praised the service about how they had worked together to obtain moving and handling equipment.

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 told us how they supported people to meet their nutritional and health needs. People told us staff provided them with food and drinks. The registered manager had recently introduced meetings with staff, to ensure all staff understood how to appropriately store and cook people’s food. A relative said, “[Name] has soft food. Staff give them this.” A person said, “Staff give me a choice of meals, they put it on the plate for me and give me some pop.”

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. People had care reviews, which included gaining their feedback about their support and any improvements which could be made for them. People told us they felt listened to. People were supported to have good outcomes. For example, 1 person had been provided with some equipment to enable them to continue to access the community during poor weather, another person was supported to refurbish their home. This included new flooring and kitchen equipment.

Where people lacked capacity to make decisions about their care, capacity assessments were in place. However, some improvements were required to ensure people had records in place to evidence they had consented to all aspects of their care and treatment. We also identified an advanced decision record, which contained out of date information, where a person's capacity had changed. This was brought to the attention of the registered manager on the day of our inspection and immediate action was taken to address this. Staff were trained in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and understood their roles and responsibilities to gain consent from people. A staff member said, “I’ve had training on the Mental Capacity Act. It taught me to support decision-making where possible and act in the person’s best interests when they lack capacity, involving relevant professionals and family.” People told us staff gained their consent and respected their wishes. One person said, “Staff knock on the door, they come and ask me what I want.” Another person said, “They always ask me if I want anything more and they do it, no problem.”