Ravens Care Kettering

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 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 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’s support plans contained comprehensive assessments of their individual needs. These assessments clearly reflected people’s preferences, abilities, and the support required to help them achieve positive outcomes. Where appropriate, relatives and relevant professionals were involved to ensure assessments were accurate and reflected people’s current needs. This enabled leaders to determine the service was right, and they could meet people’s needs safely .

One person told us they were actively involved in developing their support plans. Their support plans described what was important to them and how they wished to be supported. Support plans contained information enabling staff to recognise anxiety and distress and follow best practice and de-escalation strategies. Support plans were developed in an easy-read format, using visual prompts to help people understand and contribute to planning their care.

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 provider worked in line with the principles of Right Support, Right Care and Right Culture. Before accepting care packages, they assessed suitability by reviewing staff skills, experience, and each person’s individual needs and preferences.

People’s care and support were delivered in line with current evidence-based guidance, with staff following care plans that clearly outlined how to support each individual.

People’s nutritional and dietary needs were met, with staff supporting meal planning, preparation, and individual choices. One person told us, “I say what I want to eat and they we go to buy everything we need to cook.”

Management and staff demonstrated a strong understanding of best practice when supporting autistic people and individuals with a learning disability. Staff had completed nationally recognised training in learning disability and autism, ensuring they had the knowledge and skills to deliver safe, inclusive, and person-centred care.

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 was clear evidence of effective partnership working, both internally and with external professionals, to ensure people received timely and coordinated care. Staff spoke positively about teamwork and communication. Management shared information through daily handovers and a digital care system, ensuring all staff had access to up-to-date information and promoting consistency and continuity of care.

Support plans were personalised and care notes completed by staff showed staff provided person-centred care. The service worked in partnership with health professionals; however, the engagement was not always documented. Management acknowledged this and confirmed that improvements would be made to ensure accurate recording of professional involvement. Support plans and hospital passports were regularly updated to reflect individual's current health and care needs.

Staff felt listened to and well supported by management. They described a stable staffing environment, which enabled them to work effectively. This demonstrated that leaders fostered a supportive culture, ensuring people experienced consistent, joined-up care across staff teams and external partners.

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 encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices as part of their daily support. One person told us they had a weekly activity plan and described the activities they enjoyed, as well as what was important to them such as visiting family. Staff supported the person to go to the shops and enjoy outdoor spaces, which helped to promote physical activity, stimulation and positive wellbeing.

People received support from staff to access healthcare services when required, including annual health checks to maintain their wellbeing. A staff member explained, “We try to book health appointments when it’s not so busy, which suits [Person’s name].” Staff provided examples of the actions taken when changes in people’s health were identified, ensuring appropriate support and timely access to services.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of people’s health needs and how to support individuals in accessing services when required. They described how they responded to changes in health, ensuring people received the necessary care in a timely manner.

The provider had clear systems to ensure people’s care, support and health needs were assessed, monitored, and reviewed. Support plans and risk assessments were person-centred and specific to individual needs and risks including managing specific health conditions.

Staff monitored people’s health and wellbeing. Where a person was supported to develop independence through small, achievable steps, and staff recorded these developments so the whole team could recognise improvements and continue encouraging them. Daily notes and monitoring records were completed fully and consistently. This helped identify any changes in health, independence, or routines and was effectively shared with staff to enable prompt and appropriate responses to emerging needs.

People were involved in the review of their care and support, and plans were updated as required. This helped ensure support stayed relevant and reflected the person’s current needs.

Management carried out spot checks to ensure staff were following care plans and delivering support as agreed. Staff welcomed the spot checks as assured them they continued to provide the standard of care and support expected.

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

Leaders ensured they worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and met their legal requirements. Management and staff had received appropriate training, and systems were in place to assess people’s capacity to make specific decisions.

A person told us staff always sought their consent, and we observed staff doing so before providing support. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of their responsibilities describing consent being sought throughout daily routines, including personal care, meal preparation, and activities. They emphasised encouraging individual’s to participate as much as possible and respecting their choices. One staff member explained, “[Person’s name] can make decisions if information is communicated in a way they understand and they are given time to respond,” showing how people were supported to make decisions wherever possible.

Mental capacity assessments were completed where required. Records showed that individuals had capacity to make decisions about their care and support, and these were clearly documented and reflected within their support plans.