The Pines

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.

Pre-admission assessments were completed before people moved into The Pines. The registered manager told us how staff had worked alongside one person at their previous home, to get to know them and understand the best way to support them. Staff also worked with relatives to make sure care accurately reflected people’s needs and preferences.

Care plans contained information about people’s communication needs. For example, there was information about how people might show they were in pain or distressed
 

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.

The organisation was committed to delivering care in line with good practice. The Pines had regular support from a Positive Behaviour Support team and a behaviour analyst. They supported staff to work with people to identify what worked well for them and how to reduce any anxieties or periods of distress. Records showed this approach had been effective in improving people’s experiences.

The service was working in line with the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture guidance. All staff demonstrated a commitment to ensuring care was delivered in a way which was the least restrictive option and supported people’s autonomy and independence. Any restrictive practices were closely monitored to ensure they remained proportionate and necessary.
 

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.

There were systems to ensure information was shared effectively among staff, enabling them to meet people’s needs consistently. Staff were kept updated on any changes in handovers and via social media chat groups set up solely for communicating about the individual. Staff told us they worked together well. One commented, “We work as a team, there is a strong bond, we look out for each other and try and be consistent.”

The service worked with other agencies to help ensure people received consistent care which met their needs.
 

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.

Staff supported people to eat well and take part in regular exercise while respecting people’s rights to make their own decisions. People attended regular health and medicines reviews. A health care professional told us, “I have never had any concerns over their care, which has always been excellent. Residents are encouraged to live a full and active life.”

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.

Daily records were kept to evidence how people had spent their time and what support they had received. These records were reviewed and analysed by a behaviour analyst alongside any incident records or monitoring records. Records showed incidents when people had been distressed had declined significantly over time resulting in improved quality of life indicators. One person had started to show distress at mealtimes. A behaviour analysist had completed a detailed data analysis of what they were eating and how long it was taking. As a result of this staff were limiting the number of food items on the plate which had resulted in a decrease of periods of distress.

When people had fluctuating health conditions staff were alert to any changes in their behaviour which could indicate their physical health was deteriorating. Any slight changes were recorded and escalated promptly to help ensure people’s needs were met.
 

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

People were asked for their consent when staff were delivering care. We observed people being involved in day-to-day decisions about how and where they spent their time. When people were unable to verbally communicate their choices, staff used agreed communication techniques to make sure people were able to express their wishes. One member of staff told us, “[Name] can make everyday choices. We always look at ways to involve them.”