Skelton Court

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’s needs were assessed prior to them commencing with the service. Care was planned in line with their wishes and individual care plan. People and their loved ones were involved in the assessment of their needs.

Assessments considered the person’s health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs, to enable them to receive care or treatment that had the best possible outcomes. How staff needed to support people in these areas was documented in their care plan. Assessments were up-to-date and regularly reviewed to support staff to understand people’s current needs.

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 were involved in planning their care and support. Care plans were personalised and contained information on how people wished to receive their care and support. People’s hydration and nutritional needs were assessed, supported and met. People and relatives spoke positively about the food and told us there was sufficient to eat and drink. Comments included, “The food is very good and there is enough choice” and “The food it really is super and varied, we get a choice for every meal.”

People had access to specialist diets where required, for example, gluten free or fortified food. Where people had specific dietary needs, this was recorded in their care plan to ensure staff were aware of the support they required. Catering staff told us they had access to information on people's dietary requirements and allergies. This also included people's likes and dislikes. They explained people had a choice of meals. They told us, if people did not like what was on the menu, then they were able to request alternatives.

At lunchtime some people were supported to access the dining room whilst others had their meal in their rooms. Staff plated up each meal option and showed people, to assist them in being able to choose which food they wanted to eat.

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 management team worked closely with other health and social care. Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan and deliver people’s care and support.

A handover between staff took place at the start of each shift and ensured that important information was shared, acted upon where necessary and recorded to ensure people's progress was monitored.

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.

People had access to healthcare services to support them to maintain good health. Records in people's care plans showed visits from health professionals such as GPs and district nurses. A health professional told us, “Skelton Court has always welcomed our support and engages in any actions suggested. They are happy to contact our team, for advice and support.”

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 staff involved people in planning their care and support. Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes to care and support. Daily records were completed to monitor people’s wellbeing. People had access to healthcare services to support them to manage their emotional and physical wellbeing.

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

We looked at how the provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that as far as possible; people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA. The application procedures for this in care homes and hospitals are called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Consent to care was sought in line with legislation. Care plans contained mental capacity assessments and where necessary best interest decisions had been made in conjunction with people's relatives and the care team. Where required applications for DoLS authorisations had been submitted by the provider to the local authority. Where DoLS applications were in place these had been regularly reviewed to ensure what was in place remained the least restrictive option.

Staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. During our assessment we observed staff supporting people to make decisions about their daily living and care. For example, people were supported to make choices about what they ate, what activities they wished to be involved in and where they wanted to spend their time.