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

People told us their needs had been assessed before care commenced and that they were involved in discussions about the support they required. One person said, “The registered manager came to meet with me and discuss the care I need.”

Comprehensive assessments and care plans were completed and covered areas such as mobility, falls prevention, medicines, nutrition, skin integrity, continence, communication and personal care needs. These assessments informed care plans which provided staff with guidance on how to support people safely and effectively.

The provider worked with people, their relatives and healthcare professionals to ensure care remained responsive to people's current needs and preferences. Staff recorded observations and concerns and escalated these appropriately.

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.

The provider used recognised assessment and risk assessment tools to identify people's needs and plan their care. People's nutritional and hydration needs were considered as part of the care planning process. Care records identified the level of support people required with meal preparation, food and drink choices and maintaining adequate hydration. Care plans included guidance on encouraging fluid intake and ensuring drinks were readily accessible to reduce the risk of dehydration. Where people had been prescribed nutritional supplements, records demonstrated that staff supported them to take these as prescribed and required.

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.

People told us the registered manager liaised with other services involved in their care, obtained relevant handover information and shared this appropriately to support safe and effective care delivery. Staff understood the importance of sharing information with other professionals when people's needs changed or they required additional support. They gave examples of supporting people during medical emergencies by remaining with them until help arrived and providing relevant information to ambulance crews to ensure a safe transfer of care. Staff also worked with healthcare professionals and family members, where appropriate, to ensure people received coordinated support.

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.

Care plans contained information about the healthcare professionals involved in people's care, ensuring staff understood how to support people and when to seek specialist advice.

People told us staff supported them to access healthcare services when needed. One person said, “They help me arrange GP and professionals to visit me at home as I'm housebound.” This demonstrated how staff helped people access healthcare and maintain their wellbeing.

Care records reflected input from external professionals and provided staff with guidance on how to support people in line with professional recommendations.

The provider worked alongside healthcare professionals, including GPs, district nurses and therapists, to monitor people's health and respond to changes in 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.

The provider routinely monitored people's care and treatment and worked with healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes. One relative described how staff followed professional guidance, supported people to complete exercises and encouraged mobility and independence. They commented, “Staff worked with the physiotherapy team and followed the plan, got relative to do the prescribed exercises. They encouraged relative and got them to walk again.” As a result, the person progressed from requiring significant support to walking around their home with a frame and using the stairs. This resulted in the person requiring less support and a reduction in the number of daily care visits.

The provider also worked proactively with external professionals to improve people's health and wellbeing. For example, staff engaged with district nurses regarding an individual’s catheter providing regular feedback which led to a review of the person's needs and the catheter was subsequently removed. These examples demonstrated how the provider monitored outcomes and worked collaboratively with partner agencies to support people to become more independent.

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

Care plans recorded people's capacity to make decisions and identified who was involved in supporting decision-making where appropriate. People told us staff involved them in decisions about their care and always sought their consent before providing support.

Care records demonstrated that people's choices were respected. For example, guidance for staff stated that if a person refused care, staff should respect their decision where they had capacity, provide reassurance, offer support again later if appropriate, record the refusal and escalate repeated refusals to the registered manager. This supported people's right to make decisions about their own care while ensuring any risks were monitored.

Staff understood the importance of obtaining consent and respecting people's preferences. One staff member told us, “I always offer choices. Even if they refuse, you do not force them for anything. You respect their preferences.”