Frognal House Care Home

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.

The last rating for this key question was good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people using the service were receiving effective care and treatment.

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 and their relatives told us they were involved in assessing and planning for their care and staff discussed this with them on a regular basis. One person told us, “They [staff] talk to me more than my [loved one] does.” Another person commented, “I think it is engrained in them [staff].”

People were supported to take an active role in planning and reviewing their care, with support from staff where required, to promote involvement. Assessments and care plans were comprehensive and individualised. Reviews were carried out regularly to ensure care plans remained up to date, particularly when there were changes in people’s conditions or circumstances.

The provider demonstrated a good understanding of evidence-based practice, with monitoring tools in place to support the delivery of care in line with recognised guidance. Tools were actively used and embedded within the care planning system to help guide staff in delivering safe and effective care.

Staff were appropriately trained and delivered evidence-based care. Staff had access to a range of information and training tools about best practice. Staff attended regular and daily meetings held which provided them with updates from the management team to further understand and embed best practice.

People's nutrition, hydration, preferences, and cultural needs were met. People and their relatives told us they enjoyed the food and menus on offer. Comments included, “I think the food is excellent”, “It is a good variety”, and “We [residents] had a meeting with the chef who was very helpful.” The chef was very knowledgeable about people’s dietary and cultural needs and daily menus offered choice. The chef held bi-weekly resident meetings. They said, “It’s a good opportunity to find out what people like and don’t like, and to plan menus, get ideas and ensure people are getting food they like.”

We observed how people were supported at lunch time in several of the dining areas. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. People were offered sample plates to choose from and offered a wide range of drinks including red or white wine, tea, hot chocolate, orange, blackcurrant and apple juice. The atmosphere in dining areas was relaxed, and staff were attentive to people’s needs. There were enough staff to assist people, and we saw positive interactions between people and staff, and the atmosphere was relaxed and not rushed. A staff member asked one person if they could sit with them whilst they ate their lunch, they engaged in conversation that the person appeared to enjoy judging by their laughing and smiling. We saw people chatting with each other, chatting with staff and visiting family members. We observed a family member encouraging their loved one to eat their lunch with some success.

There were systems in place to support and enhance better staff communication. Regular meetings were held including daily staff meetings where information was shared across the staffing team. One member of staff told us, “The 10 at 10 meeting is a good check in about people’s needs, risks and any changes, I think managers have a good handle on risks for people and how to respond. If there is anything I need to know, I’m told there.”

We saw staff communicated and worked effectively with other professionals. These included the local authority, regular GP visits to liaise with staff, tissue viability nurses, community mental health teams, palliative care teams and dietitians amongst others. A visiting social care professional told us staff were very helpful; they had a good understanding and were knowledgeable of the persons needs and staff were able to provide them with all the information they needed to complete their assessment.

Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and future support needs. People told us they had access to health care professional when they needed them. A person told us, “Staff are very good, they always call for the doctor if needed.”

People were supported to access a range of health and social care professionals when required to support their physical and emotional wellbeing. Care plans and records documented how best people should be supported and staff monitored people’s conditions and health needs on a regular basis taking action if people became unwell. Care records confirmed that people were seen by professionals such as GPs, nurses and other relevant health care service when needed. People were supported to attend appointments, and referrals were made promptly to ensure timely intervention and continuity of care.

Staff routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to ensure that outcomes were positive and consistent.

Staff involved people in planning their care and support to ensure it reflected their preferences and needs. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and updated where required to capture any changes in people’s needs and risks. Daily records were maintained by staff to monitor people’s wellbeing and the management team monitored care records to ensure care was provided appropriately and safely. People had timely access to health and social care services to support both their emotional and physical health.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these. People told us staff were respectful and always sought their consent.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their daily lives. When people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions, the provider met with relatives where appropriate to ensure any decisions made, were in the person’s best interests. Staff promoted people's rights and worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework for making 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. The provider had requested legal authorisations where restrictions were in place. Decisions around these were made in people’s best interests and for their safety.