Storm Homecare Limited

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 provider ensured the service could support people’s care needs before their care package started. The registered manager told us they met each person to complete an initial needs assessment prior to them using the service. People were matched with a small group of care workers to meet their needs, for example, language and cultural background. The registered manager and nominated individual were clear on the skill set of their current workforce, and advised they would not accept a care package if they knew at the outset that the person’s needs would be better met with a different type of service.

Reviews of people’s care needs were conducted regularly to ensure the care they received continued to meet their needs.

People and their relatives told us they were involved in initial care planning, and subsequent care plan reviews.

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. They worked to develop evidence-based good practice and standards.

People and their relatives told us staff were competent to deliver care to a high standard, including where people had particularly complex needs. People were supported with preparing and consuming food and fluids, where this fell into the scope of their package of care.

Staff and leaders understood current legislation and good practice guidance and applied these effectively. National tools such as Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Waterlow (tools based on best practice to monitor weight and skin condition) had been completed, and staff told us people’s care records contained accurate information to support them to deliver the most appropriate care.

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 and their relatives spoke highly of the effective communication which occurred between the service and other healthcare professionals.

One relative told us, “Me and [family member] sat with the Manager and we explained the care we wanted for [our relative]. [Relative] has a dietician visiting every 3 months to change the [medical device which liquid food goes through], The District nurse visits to check on [relative’s] skin, they work side by side with the carers, we are confident they know what they are doing”.

The management team worked closely with specialist health professionals to ensure joined up care for people with particularly complex needs. The team had built up good working relationships with these health professionals, which they told us made communicating concerns and requesting additional support much easier.

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 were supported to manage their health needs to ensure they remained healthy.

One person told us that staff escorted them to attend their local medical centre for blood tests.

During our inspection, we noted care staff identified a person had become unwell during their care call. Staff had escalated this matter to the local GP surgery and arranged for the GP to complete a home visit that same day. Staff had also informed the family members about their relative’s health concern, and the actions they had taken to seek swift medical attention.

People were encouraged to be as physically active as possible. One person liked to regularly go for walks, and staff would often accompany the person to chat to them on the walk.

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.

People and their relatives told us they received positive outcomes when receiving support from Storm Homecare.

One person told us all their needs were documented in their care plan, and they were on the waiting list to see a Community Physiotherapist for some new equipment to support them to mobilise. Once they had this equipment, care staff would arrange for them to engage in activities outside of the house.

Staff had received training in monitoring clinical outcomes and recorded their observations clearly.

The management team regularly contacted people and their relatives to ensure the care being delivered remained appropriate and met their expectations.

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

Previous blanket mental capacity assessments had been removed by the new registered manager. Mental capacity assessments were now only completed where applicable, and best interest decisions were decision specific and contained robust rationale for the decision being made. Multiple parties were consulted with as part of the decision-making process.

Staff understood the importance of seeking consent before delivering care. We saw care plans detailed people’s capacity to make decisions, and staff had access to these records.