Novus Care Limited - Surrey

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.

People had person‑centred care plans which focused on their individual goals and aspirations. One person told us, “I was in hospital and [member of staff] had a long chat with the physiotherapists to go through everything to make sure they could meet my requirements.”

Staff had sufficient time to read and understand people’s care records. Staff worked in partnership with people to ensure their views and opinions were included in the development and review of care plans. This helped ensure care reflected what mattered most to people and supported their preferences and choices. A person told us, “I feel safe with them because they always go by a certain set of rules and the same routine.”

The registered manager told us, “All care plans are formulated from the initial assessment to ensure that people are fully involved [and] a person-centred care plan to meet all of their individual 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 supported with eating and drinking. People and their relatives told us they were supported well and that dietary needs were met appropriately.

Staff worked in line with people’s planned care and support needs. People’s likes and dislikes were clearly recorded and known to staff, who took these into account when providing support. This helped ensure care was person‑centred and consistent with people’s preferences.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to following nationally recognised guidance and frameworks, such as Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture. They updated their knowledge and ensured staff had completed specific training to support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The nominated individual told us, “I know that with [distressed behaviours] it’s monitoring this. [The registered manager] will audit them every week and they can monitor that.”

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 provider worked alongside other professionals to support coordinated and joined‑up care. This helped ensure relevant information was shared appropriately and people’s needs were understood and responded to effectively. Staff shared information about people’s care. One member of staff told us, “We have like a communication group, so we usually send a message that an incident has happened. We say, ‘in future, can you make sure that the frames are in reach or leave enough water with the person’.”

Staff told us they worked well together and knew people well. This supported consistency, effective communication and continuity of care for people using the service.

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 told us they were supported with their health needs. One person told us, “Sometimes they will get in touch with the doctor for me. I have the district nurses come in, and they have contact with them too.” A relative told us, “Carers provide varied, home cooked food and appropriate hydration.”

Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing in ways that promoted independence, choice and positive daily routines. Staff were able to give examples of how they supported people to live healthier lives in line with their individual health conditions. The registered manager told us, “If we need to involve and ask for an OT (occupational therapist]) referral, if there's any equipment needed, then the field care staff will go out and do a wellbeing check, and they will complete our falls assessment paperwork and falls care plan.”

People and their relatives told us staff were attentive to people’s wellbeing and offered guidance and encouragement. This support helped people to maintain their health and wellbeing and remain as independent as possible. One member of staff told us in relation to monitoring a person’s nutrition that they would record how much a person had eaten and “If I find food is not eaten, we will report this. Sometimes if we notice that they don't eat, we might start by preparing food before anything else so that you can be there with them to eat and encourage them.”

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 relatives felt the staff monitored health needs well. A relative told us, “The carer has direct line to GP and district nurse and contacts them as required for example, if they have a concern about a potential pressure point or soreness. This helps prevent problems before they occur.”

We saw evidence that regular reviews were carried out. These reviews helped ensure care remained appropriate, up to date and responsive to any changes in people’s needs, for example, a person’s mobility had decreased. One member of staff told us if people had reported to them they felt unwell, “We will check how they're feeling or if they're getting better or it's worsening up. And then we always advise if you're not feeling well, we will call for medical help.” The registered manager told us, “We've also got sections in the care plan that staff in the office reviews every six months at least, but outcomes of each section and how we can support somebody to achieve those goals that they want to set out.”

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

Staff consistently asked for people’s consent before providing care and support. This was recorded appropriately within people’s care records. People confirmed this in their feedback. A relative told us, “Staff always seek permission from my mother to perform physical tasks, tell her what they are going to do and let her know what they are doing in real time.” This demonstrated that staff respected people’s rights and involved them in decisions about their care and treatment.

A member of staff told us, “We always assume a person’s capacity until proven otherwise. And capacity is not like a one-time thing. It can change anytime. So, we just support according to that moment and always assume they have capacity.” Another told us, “I always make sure that I gain consent first. I let them know what I'm doing. I make sure I use clear communication.”