Rowanweald Residential and Nursing 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 by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The management team carried out a thorough assessment of people’s needs prior to them moving into the home. This involved the person and relatives where appropriate and gathering information from relevant professionals. When carrying out the assessment management also ensured the team could meet people’s needs and that any people considered would be compatible with other people living at the home.

The provider held a daily ‘10 at 10’ meeting. This meeting was attended by heads of department and the management team. The purpose of the meeting was to share information and discuss any important changes, concerns and ensure staff had up to date information about people’s needs.

Care support plans were of a good standard and covered areas including personal care. They were person centred and contained detailed information about how to support people. Care plans were reviewed to reflect changes in people’s needs, wishes and health conditions.

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 undertook a range of training to help them perform their role effectively. Staff told us training was helpful, and they felt appropriately skilled and well informed.

People and relatives told us they had confidence in staff’s skills and knowledge. A relative told us, “The staff work very hard, and are very capable.”

Where appropriate, people had their needs assessed by speech and language therapists (SALT) and received meals in line with recommendations made by these professionals. Staff had completed dysphasia (risk of choking) training. We saw evidence of involvement from external healthcare professionals regarding various health needs such as district nurses and GPs. People’s care plans were person-centred and detailed what was important to them.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once.

Effective communication systems were in place. Regular meetings were held for staff and provided an opportunity to share information about the running of the service and people’s individual needs.

Staff told us they felt communication was good. A member of staff told us, “I think communication is good here. We have daily handovers and regular team meetings, so everyone knows what’s happening with each resident.” Another member of staff said, “Communication is very good generally in the home.”

The provider worked closely with external health and social care professionals such as GP’s, district nurses, chiropodist and people had access to holistic services such as a hairdresser. Staff had access to appropriate information to help support people’s needs and wellbeing.

Staff shared information with one another as necessary to help ensure people experienced continuity of care. Staff told us they were supported in their work and felt valued working at the service. They said they felt comfortable reaching out to their colleagues and management for support. A member of staff told us, “I feel supported by my manager and colleagues. There’s always someone to turn to if I have a question or need advice.”

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.

We saw evidence of people’s dietary requirements being met for example, with meals suitable for people with diabetes. People were encouraged to choose their own food options and people were supported with healthy options.

During our visit, we saw people enjoying outdoor space on the veranda and staff supported people to participate in activities. People were protected from the sun and had hats and sunglasses on. The music was upbeat and people were involved in chair and breathing exercises. Staff encouraged people to take part and people participated in laughing therapy. They also played badminton using balloons and large rackets. The equipment used was accessible to all the people who were participating.

People’s preferences, choices and their holistic needs were consistently considered to ensure the focus was not just on physical health but included mental wellbeing and spiritual needs. The provider arranged for a therapy dog, Fergus to visit the home weekly. This provided people with comfort, companionship, and emotional support.

Staff also ensured people who spent more time in their room were engaged in meaningful activities to keep them mentally stimulated and active. A member of staff told us, “There’s a real focus on person-centred care. We tailor activities and routines to each resident’s preferences.”

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.

Care plan audits were carried out regularly to help monitor progress and identify any changes to people’s needs. Monitoring tools were used to help identify any changes to people’s needs and wellbeing. For example, a MUST was completed monthly to record people’s weight. This helped to identify if a person needed a referral to an external healthcare professional such as a dietician or the GP.

Updates to people’s needs were shared accordingly with staff via handovers and the electronic care planning system.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

We saw capacity to consent was considered through documentation in care plans and staff had a clear understanding of capacity and consent. Staff spoke positively about ensuring people were at the centre of their care and encouraged to make their own decisions. A member of staff told us, “We get good training on mental capacity, so we know how to support residents' choices.”

We observed people being offered choices and staff sought consent from people prior to supporting people.

A person said, “Staff give me time to walk around my bed and choose clothes that I want to wear for the day from my wardrobe.”

The provider had processes in place for ensuring that Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard [DoLS] had been applied for appropriately and were monitored and reviewed. Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA] and DoLS.