Baycroft Flitwick

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection, 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. People’s needs were assessed when they started using the service and they were supported to discuss their preferences, likes and dislikes as well as their support needs. Staff told us they were supported to get to know people when they started living at the service and updated care plans and the way they supported people based on what they found out about people. One person said, ‘‘I found it really difficult to leave home but I must say the staff made it very easy for me and were very welcoming.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] was at the service for a week and then turned round to us and said, ‘this is where I’m staying!’. They settled in really quickly.’’

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 management team stayed up to date with best practice in relation to supporting people. For example, they organised training for staff specifically based around supporting people living with dementia. They updated people’s care plans where necessary and took feedback from visiting professionals seriously to promote best practice. One relative told us, ‘‘Staff are well trained and attentive. They know how to support [family member] with everything the need.’’

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. Some staff told us they had not always found working together to be a positive experience; however, this had improved with the support of the senior management team. Other staff told us they worked well together and shared information regularly to help make sure people had positive and consistent support. Staff worked well with other professionals to help people have positive outcomes in relation to their health. One person said, ‘‘The staff all know each other well and all call each other by name. We are all very friendly together.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘There is a friendly atmosphere at the service. I am confident staff will get in contact with any professionals if [family member] needed them.’’

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing and supported them to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People were supported to be healthy in ways such as eating and drinking enough and being supported to not develop pressure sores. Staff knew how to support people with their needs, for example by preparing their food and drink in ways that were safe for them or supporting them to do exercises to stay healthy. Staff in charge of providing food and drink for people took pride in their work, cooking food from scratch and cooking meals which they knew people liked. People and relatives were positive about the food at the service. One person said, ‘‘The food is good here. If I don’t want what is on offer, they always get me something else. There are lots of cakes and snacks we can have through the day’’ A relative told us, ‘‘There is a great variety of food and [family member] has put on a lot of weight since being at the service.’’ [Family member] is supported to sit and eat with her friends and this helps her to eat her food. The staff know this. The food looks good and is always fresh.’’

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that people’s health outcomes were positive and consistent. The management and staff team reviewed people’s care plans and records to help ensure they were being supported in line with their support needs. People had experienced good outcomes in relation to their health needs such as not developing pressure sores or being supported to maintain healthy weights. One person said, ‘‘I had a visit from [health professional] and have been told to walk a bit more. The staff will help me do this.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] can be quite stubborn. They know they need to walk a bit more but are reluctant to do so. The staff try their best and as a result they are doing much better now.’’

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering support. People were supported in line with the MCA. Where people did not have capacity to consent to their support, assessments were completed and decisions were made in their best interest, with involvement from those who knew them well. Staff understood the principles of the MCA and knew the importance of asking people for consent. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] are very polite. They know how I like things done but always ask me to make sure I am happy anyway.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] is still very much their own person and staff respect this. They are so happy, and the staff only help them when they need it.’’