The Limes Care 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 inadequate, and the service was in breach of the legal regulation in relation to safeguarding. At this assessment the rating has changed to good and the service is no longer in breach of the legal regulations. 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. For example, assessment tools were in use, such as the Waterlow assessment for skin integrity risk, however these were not always fully analysed or followed by clear, documented actions. There were not always clear outcomes or measures put in place to reduce those risks. The provider was in the process of auditing and reviewing all care plans in the service.

The provider had systems in place to plan and deliver care and treatment, and staff demonstrated general awareness of people’s needs. However, care plans did not always provide sufficiently detailed or individualised guidance to fully support evidence‑based practice. Some interventions, including the use of PRN medicines and de‑escalation strategies, were referenced but not always clearly described in line with recognised good practice.

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.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing, Staff promoted people to make healthy choices. Health needs were identified and reviewed, with appropriate referrals made to external professionals when required. Staff supported people to attend health appointments and follow professional advice, and care planning reflected actions to promote wellbeing.

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. The provider had systems in place to monitor people’s care, including regular reviews, daily records, incident reporting and medicines audits. Risks such as falls, bruising, refusals of care and changes in health were identified and recorded, and concerns were escalated when needed. We received mixed feedback from relatives, one relative said, “They keep us in the loop.” However, another said, “If I don’t follow it up, nothing will happen.”

The provider ensured people were informed about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering care and treatment. Where people lacked capacity to consent, mental capacity assessments were completed and clearly recorded in their care plans. When people required a deprivation of liberty, appropriate applications had been submitted in line with legal requirements.