Home Instead Bradford

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• 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 for this newly registered 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 service 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.

People and their relatives told us the service carried out a comprehensive assessment before they began to use the service followed by regular reviews to update care plans as needed. A relative said, “I do have a review of the care plan, and they come once a year to speak to me to see if there is anything we could do differently.”

The service 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.

The service used recognised evidence-based assessment tools to monitor and assess people’s needs. The service ensured staff were kept up to date with relevant legislation, evidence-based good practice, and required standards.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were consistently met. A person told us, “They make and prepare my food. They always ask me what I want. If I feel like a sandwich, they will make that, or they may take something out of the freezer to heat up.” Care plans included clear instructions, such as leaving drinks in different areas of the home to help people stay hydrated. A relative added, “They do breakfast for [Name] and ask them what they want, it gives us peace of mind.”

The service 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. The service maintained good continuity of care, when relatives were unable to meet people’s needs themselves. For example, when a person’s family member returned to another country, the service increased support to help them manage feelings of loneliness and anxiety. They also arranged outings, such as trips to the cinema, and enhanced the care package to provide reassurance and emotional support during the evenings.

The service 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 supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People’s care plans contained information about any medical conditions they had and how these may affect them. Care plans also outlined any risks involved with these conditions and the action staff needed to take to mitigate these. A relative shared an example of staff vigilance, explaining, “I noticed blood in the catheter bag. They logged and contacted the office for guidance. It was later confirmed that the bag had been changed the previous day, which can cause this. The office were aware and advised staff to continue monitoring, which they did, and the issue resolved.”

The service 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’s care plans provided guidance for staff about the monitoring they should carry out in addition to providing people’s care. A person said, “I’ve had a problem with my skin [bed sore] and they have looked after me so well it’s getting better, the staff are wonderful. I had a special mattress delivered; they ordered it for me. It has helped me. The creams have also helped. I was in tears with it at one point but its better now.”

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

The service assessed people’s capacity to make decisions about their care and, where individuals lacked capacity, consulted those legally authorised to act on their behalf. For example, the registered manager explained 1 person had a Court of Protection order in place for their finances, which was managed by their case worker.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the need to obtain consent when delivering care. A staff member told us, “It’s about a person making their own decisions unless they are not able to, and then we make decisions that are least restrictive. For example, if you have to administer medication, you need consent from the person. If you don’t get consent, you have to respect that.”