Sleaford Hall 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.

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 registered manager made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People, and where appropriate their relatives, were involved in initial assessments of people’s needs and risks before people came to live at the service. This helped to ensure staff were able to meet their needs.

People’s needs were reviewed regularly and where there were changes, their care documentation was updated promptly so that staff had access to up to date information and could provide them with appropriate support. Staff were informed of any changes during daily meetings.

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 ensured staff completed appropriate training, so their knowledge and skills reflected good practice, and they could keep people safe and meet their needs. Staff performance was reviewed regularly through supervision, observations and competence assessments.

People and relatives were happy with the care provided at the service and told us it reflected what was important to them. A relative told us, “Staff work hard. We couldn’t be happier with the care. ”

The registered manager and staff 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.

Staff were informed about any changes in people’s needs or risks during daily morning meetings and during shift changes, which helped to ensure they remained up to date with people’s needs. Staff told us communication within the service was good. A relative commented, “Communication with staff and between staff is good, it’s improved massively.”

Records showed referrals were made to community agencies, such as GPs, community nurses and speech and language therapy services, when people needed specialist support. Emergency services were contacted when needed and staff shared important information with ambulance and hospital staff to ensure they were familiar with people’s needs and risks.

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’s healthcare needs were assessed and reviewed regularly. Their care plans and risk assessments included detailed information about their healthcare needs, medical history and medicines, to guide staff on how to support them to maintain or improve their health. A person told us, “I had an infection and the staff called the GP, and I had tablets by the end of the day.” A relative commented, “The care is brilliant. My [family member] struggles to eat sometimes but there is always someone to help and cajole. The weight is piling on and [family member] is so much healthier.”

The registered manager 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.

The registered manager ensured staff routinely monitored people’s risks and needs to ensure the care and support provided remained appropriate. Any changes in need were shared with relevant staff. When specialist support was needed, this was arranged. Weekly GP reviews took place, allowing any health concerns to be identified and appropriate treatment or investigations arranged. A relative told us, “The community nurse looks in [on family member] regularly, but if anything changes the GP will visit outside of his Wednesday visit.” Another commented, “If there is a health concern the GP is called or the district nurse visits and we are informed as soon as possible.”

We noted a lack of clarity in one person’s care plans about how often staff should provide support and monitor their skin integrity. The registered manager addressed this during the inspection, which helped to ensure staff were clear about their responsibilities and the person received appropriate care.

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

The registered manager ensured people’s consent to receive care was sought and documented before staff began supporting them. When people were unable to provide their consent, their relatives or representatives were consulted to ensure any decisions made were in their best interests.

People and relatives told us their decisions were respected and no-one we spoke with had felt pressured to do anything they did not want to do. Staff understood the importance of consent and respecting people’s wishes.