House of Caring 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 of 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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs with them.

People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service. Initial assessments recorded people’s strengths and their preferences about how they wished to be supported as well as their care needs.

The provider ensured professional input was sought where necessary for any needs identified through the assessment process, and that guidance was put in place for staff to ensure they provided safe and effective care. For example, the PIR stated, ‘We work closely with speech and language therapists (SALT) to support individuals with communication difficulties and swallowing disorders. When a service user is identified as having issues with speech or swallowing, we promptly refer them to a SALT specialist, who assesses their needs and provides recommendations. These recommendations are then incorporated into the service user’s care plan, and our staff are trained to follow them.’

Once people began to use the service, reviews of their care were held after 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months and 1 year. Reviews were also carried out if people’s needs changed, for example following a hospital stay. In addition to internal reviews, the provider also regularly contributed to reviews coordinated by people’s social workers.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs with them.

People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service. Initial assessments recorded people’s strengths and their preferences about how they wished to be supported as well as their care needs.

The provider ensured professional input was sought where necessary for any needs identified through the assessment process, and that guidance was put in place for staff to ensure they provided safe and effective care. For example, the PIR stated, ‘We work closely with speech and language therapists (SALT) to support individuals with communication difficulties and swallowing disorders. When a service user is identified as having issues with speech or swallowing, we promptly refer them to a SALT specialist, who assesses their needs and provides recommendations. These recommendations are then incorporated into the service user’s care plan, and our staff are trained to follow them.’

Once people began to use the service, reviews of their care were held after 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months and 1 year. Reviews were also carried out if people’s needs changed, for example following a hospital stay. In addition to internal reviews, the provider also regularly contributed to reviews coordinated by people’s social workers.

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.

Professionals told us the provider communicated effectively with them and shared information to ensure people’s care was well-planned and coordinated. One professional said, “Communication has been clear, timely, and professional. The service provider ensures all necessary information is shared and remains approachable for any further discussion or clarification.”

Relatives of people who used the service told us the provider had worked with them to plan the care their family members needed. We asked relatives whether the provider had involved them in planning their family members’ care. One relative responded, “Very much so; this was discussed at the beginning as we are the primary carers for [family member]. We are able to communicate any changes in plans with carers and management.”

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 need for care and support.

The service focused on identifying risks to people’s health and wellbeing early and on how to support people to prevent deterioration. The provider worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals to achieve this. For example, the provider worked with tissue viability nurses to monitor people at risk of developing pressure ulcers, and with nutritionists and dietitians to develop personalised meal plans that met people’s nutritional requirements.

Staff described examples of alerting professionals when they had concerns about people’s health. One member of staff told us they were concerned about the footcare of a person who had diabetes and made a referral to the district nursing team, who visited the person to assess their needs.

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.

Relatives told us staff monitored their family members’ health effectively and highlighted any concerns they had. One relative said, “So far they have been good, especially when it comes to monitoring the catheter and any issues with it.”

Professionals confirmed that staff monitored people’s health proactively and reported any concerns they had to the local authority. The professional told us, “Health monitoring is thorough and well-documented. Staff are proactive in identifying any changes in health and liaising with local authority professionals when needed.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering care. Staff understood the importance of involving people in their care and gaining their consent on a day-to-day basis.

People were asked to record their consent to the care they received. People received information about their care in a way they could understand and had appropriate support and time to make decisions. Where people had appointed others to make decisions on their behalf, the provider consulted and involved people with legal authority in discussions and decisions about care and treatment.