Birchwood & Co Case Management 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 71 (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. Assessments were undertaken before support began and, where appropriate, drew on input from in-house, private, and statutory health and social care professionals to inform a full understanding of individual needs and rehabilitation goals.

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. Although staff had received a wide range of training that was routinely reviewed and updated, some training specific to learning disability and autism was still in the process of being sourced. The provider committed to prioritising this to ensure compliance with current guidance.

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. Overall staff told us they worked well together and as a service. One staff member told us, “As a team we support each other, and we work as a team for the betterment of our client.” Feedback received from professionals was positive about working together. One partner commented, “Very proactive communication and clarity when advice is needed. They are well informed about clients and their needs, communicating this effectively to relevant parties.”

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 by a range of in-house professionals as well as private and statutory health professionals. Care records evidenced joint working with a variety of health professionals and implementation and monitoring of recommended plans of care 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. Care records were reviewed on a regular basis and updated to ensure they accurately reflected people’s changing needs, professional advice, and revised outcomes. The provider advised that the introduction of the new electronic care recording system would further strengthen oversight and provide improved assurance that care and support were being effectively monitored. Families were positive of the support provided by staff in monitoring the health and wellbeing of their relative. One relative told us, “My staff are very good and anything out of the ordinary, they are very observant and let me know.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Assessments of people’s capacity were decision-specific and completed in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its Code of Practice. Where people were assessed as lacking capacity, processes were in place to ensure decisions were made in their best interests. Staff received training in the Mental Capacity Act and were able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the need to support people to understand decisions, seek their consent, and obtain consent prior to the delivery of care. One staff member told us, “[Person] communicates with me through hand gestures or body language. If [person] doesn’t like it, they will let me know. I always ask for consent.”