PentaCare (West Suffolk)

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 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.

The management team worked in partnership with people and their relatives to carry out assessments of people’s needs. Assessments were holistic and reflected people’s health, care and communication needs ensuring people’s home situation was fully understood.

People’s previous experience with care providers or stays in hospital had been considered. For example, what had worked well and where people had struggled in situations. Care records reflected people’s views and wishes and what mattered to them was described. For example, their routines, people and objects of importance.

People’s needs were reviewed on an ongoing basis through planned and responsive reviews when changes occurred, ensuring risk assessments and care plans remained current and effective.

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.

People and relatives were involved in care planning and deciding how they wanted their care to be delivered. One relative told us, “The manager will involve me in any changes to be made to the care arrangements.”

People’s care records included NHS guidance for staff on their specific medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes. Care plans followed NHS guidance to ensure people received support aligned to good practice standards.

The registered manager was proactive in keeping staff up to date regarding current clinical guidance and staff were provided with ongoing learning opportunities to continue to improve outcomes for people.

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.

Management and the staff team worked collaboratively with other professionals such as district nurses, GPs, social workers and therapy teams to ensure people received well-co-ordinated care which met their individual needs.

Where people moved between services, the management team liaised with relevant professionals and health commissioners to ensure changes were documented and transitions were as smooth as possible. This meant people did not have to repeat their history each time a new professional became involved in their care.

Management and staff communicated via an instantaneous messaging service and digital notes were shared to ensure all staff were aware of how to respond to any changing needs.

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.

Where identified and agreed in people’s care arrangements staff encouraged them to make healthy lifestyle choices such as increasing their physical activity or maintaining a balanced diet to promote their wellbeing. Some people had identified their own health goals such as improving their mobility, which staff supported them to achieve.

People were supported to access health professionals when needed, including attending medical appointments. Staff were alert to any changes in people’s needs, where concerns were identified with their health, these were escalated so medical attention could be sought in a timely manner. One relative told us the staff, “Are very on the ball and contact the district nurse when required.” Another relative shared, “Health care professionals are called promptly - this is an area I feel that PentaCare excel at. They are very good at getting the nurses and doctor to attend to my [family member] quickly.”

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.

One relative shared their positive experience that their relative had not been admitted to hospital since switching care agencies, “Before having PentaCare we had another agency involved with the care and support but changed to PentaCare last July and the health of my relative has improved. Previous to having PentaCare my relative was hospitalised 3 times in 6 months.”

People’s care was routinely monitored by the staff and management team, with regular reviews undertaken to ensure the focus was always on meeting people’s needs in line with their expectations.

The registered manager took a holistic approach to outcomes and supported people with their health care needs as well as their communication and social goals. This gave people the opportunity to engage with the local community for example, attend events arranged by the service such as coffee mornings or to celebrate Christmas or pancake day.

The registered manager acted on feedback they received to improve service delivery and promote positive outcomes for people.

People and relatives shared that staff sought consent and involved them in decisions about their care including the way it was delivered.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff received training and there were systems in place to assess people’s capacity to make individual decisions. People had individual mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions in place when they lacked capacity to make decisions included in their care plans.

The provider had met their legal requirements for people who had a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) appointed. Prior to making decisions about care, management ensured evidence of the LPA was obtained and they were consulted about all decisions.