Fairlight Manor

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 Good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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.

Before people moved into the home an assessment of their needs was completed to ensure these could be met at the home. People’s relatives told us they were involved in these decisions and discussions about care needs. People’s needs were continually reviewed. Their care plans and risk assessments were updated as their needs and preferences changed. Staff were aware of people’s needs and this ensured appropriate care and support was provided.

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.

Records showed the use of nationally recognised tools for example, the Waterlow score for assessing people’s risk of pressure damage and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) for monitoring people’s weight.

Staff received regular training and updates to help ensure they understood the current standards of care to support people effectively. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how dementia impacted upon people’s lives and what they needed to do to be able to deliver effective support to a person living with dementia.

People’s care and support needs were regularly reviewed, and staff were aware of any changes. Care plans and risk assessments included details of the support required.

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’s relatives told us staff worked together with other teams to ensure their loved ones received the appropriate care and support. Staff told us about referrals and ongoing discussions that had taken place regarding people’s health and social care needs. Staff told us they worked together as a team to ensure people received the care and support they needed. One staff member said, “It’s a really nice team, we all work together, it's all good.”

Staff were updated each day at handover about changes to people’s needs. There was also a handover book which included details of any appointments or planned visits for each day. The book was also used to inform staff of who they were supporting each shift and other roles for which they were responsible. Staff told us this was helpful as it provided a structure and guidance throughout the shift. It enabled them to be aware of the roles of other staff in addition to their own. Staff worked across roles which helped to ensure the service ran smoothly.

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.

One relative said, “Staff are proactive, for example, if [name] needs to see the doctor.” Another relative told us about referrals that had been made to other health professionals to help ensure their loved one retained and improved their health.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s health needs and when to contact the relevant health professionals. They told us people attended regular health appointments for example, optician and chiropodist. The provider and staff told us they worked well with the local GP practice. If staff were concerned about people’s health, they would contact the GP and they would respond promptly. One staff member said, “The GP practice is very proactive, we have a good relationship.” A healthcare professional told us, “Staff were quick to refer to correct services for treatment such as NHS podiatry or district nurses.”

People’s care plans contained information about people’s health and well-being needs. These were regularly reviewed and updated. They provided clear guidance for staff. For example, care plans related to diabetes included information about how to manage the condition. They also informed staff how diabetes may affect other aspects of people’s health, such as eye and foot health and how to ensure effective care and support was provided.

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.

One relative told us about improvements in their loved one since moving into the home. They said, “Since [name] has moved in, [they] have been engaging, talking, laughing and joking. This wasn’t happening previously.” Another relative said, “{Name’s] physical health is better since moving in.”There were systems in place to monitor people’s care and support to improve outcomes and ensure the appropriate care was being provided. Staff knew people well and monitored them throughout each day they were able to identify changes in people’s health and well-being. People’s weight was checked to identify if there was any unexpected weight loss. People’s skin integrity was monitored to identify pressure damage or wounds. Records were maintained of care and support provided, such as personal hygiene and dietary intake.

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

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 MCA 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.

Where people were deemed not to have capacity, Mental Capacity Assessments (MCA) had been developed and recorded in a decision specific way. These demonstrated the involvement of people, their relatives and how decisions were made in people’s best interests.

Staff received MCA training. They told us they offered people choices and supported them to make their own decisions. Throughout our visit we observed staff asking people’s consent and offering choices before they provided care and support.

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. In care homes, and some hospitals, this is usually through MCA application procedures called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The service was working within the principles of the MCA, and appropriate legal authorisations were in place when needed to deprive a person of their liberty. Any conditions relating to those authorisations were identified and being met.