Brookside

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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.

The provider did not always make sure people’s care and treatment were effective because they did not always check and discuss people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People’s needs were generally assessed, and care plans contained information about people’s health conditions, risks and preferences.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. Records showed people had access to external healthcare professionals when required, including GPs, speech and language therapists, district nurses and other specialists. Tools such as MUST were used to monitor nutritional risk, and weight monitoring records showed people’s weights were regularly checked.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Care records showed that staff worked with external professionals to support people’s health needs, such as following guidance from speech and language therapists and seeking medical advice when people became unwell. There was evidence referrals were made and outcomes recorded.

We identified hydration risks to people were not always managed effectively. Where people had defined fluid targets due to known risks such as constipation, records showed these targets were not consistently met. This increased health risks to them. However, people were supported to attend health appointments and routine monitoring was evident for areas such as weight and long term conditions. Activity records showed people were encouraged to remain active within their abilities, which helped support wellbeing.

We could not be assured that the provider always consistently monitored outcomes effectively due to the concerns we identified related to hydration, environmental safety, and staff competence. This meant there was an increased risk of action not being taken in response to known risks.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. The provider worked in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Care plans referenced people’s capacity to make decisions and best interest decision making where appropriate. A staff member said, “We give them choices and ask them what they want.”