Alice House

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. People were supported to take an active role in their care assessments. Prior to admission to the home the registered manager carried out a preadmission assessment. This determined if the home was able to meet the person’s needs. The registered manager told us when carrying out preadmission assessments of people, they considered the dependency of the whole service. After the pre assessment was carried out the registered manager discussed this with the provider.

Preadmission assessments contributed to people’s overall care plan. This reflected each person’s individual needs, preferences, and abilities. People’s assessment records were comprehensive and tailored to the person, reviews were carried out regularly to ensure care plans remained up to date, particularly when there were changes in a person’s needs.

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 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.

The staff promoted people’s health and wellbeing. They demonstrated an understanding of how to support each person to maintain and improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.
People were actively supported to make healthy choices around food and drink. The meals at the home were freshly cooked with 2 choices offered. The staff supported people to pick their menu choice by showing them 2 example meal options. The menu was also displayed so people could see the daily choices. Meals were prepared in accordance with people’s preferences and dietary requirements.

We observed the meals served looked appetising. Mealtimes were seen as a positive, social experience that supported both nutrition and emotional wellbeing. The staff supported and encouraged people to eat and drink. Meals were served in the dining room or in people’s rooms. Where people had specific health needs, such as diabetes or difficulty with swallowing, staff worked closely with health professionals to ensure tailored support was in place. Some people’s weights were being monitored due to some recent weight loss. The reasons for weight loss had been recorded in people’s care records and the appropriate health professionals were involved. We spoke with people and asked about the food at the home. People told us, “The food is good, plenty, as usual” and “The food is quite good. I had sweet and sour chicken today and no complaints.”

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.

The staff had access to people’s care and support plans, on electronic handheld devices. This helped the staff to understand people’s needs and deliver their care. The home was supported by the local GP surgery with weekly visits. The management team prepared a weekly list of the people, who required a visit. The list contained information about people’s wellbeing and observations. A district nurse visited the home daily to administer insulin to a person. We asked the professionals involved with the home for feedback. One professional told us, “I was impressed to see during my last visit they had a falls protocol displayed on the wall and were following best guidance with both falls and delirium in dementia. The care home receives a visit to see people each week and feedback from the visiting clinician has been positive.”

The registered manager told us the staff at the home had been involved in a project called ‘management of skin tear in residential care settings. This involved the staff attending training and asking for dressings when there supplies run low. The training equipped the staff toapply an initial dressing for a person with a skin tear and then consulting with the district nursing team.

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 live healthy lives, by assessing and planning for people’s healthcare needs. The registered manager worked closely with the GP surgery who visited the home each week. They discussed people’s needs and supported the staff to make referrals to other professionals.

People’s health, weight and skin condition was monitored by the staff and the registered manager.

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.

The provider used recognised tools to monitor people's health and wellbeing, with prompt action taken when a change in needs was identified. Staff told us how the providers electronic system supported them in the day-to-day monitoring of people’s health and wellbeing. This included monitoring people’s behaviour, recording when personal care was given and wellbeing checks. Any changes in people’s wellbeing were reported to the senior person on duty and then escalated to the appropriate professionals when needed.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. We observed evidence that consent to care and support was obtained when delivering care to people. Prior to admission an initial assessment was carried out. Information was sought regarding people’s capacity, and this was clearly recorded in their care notes. Staff consistently gained verbal consent before providing personal care or support, checking that the person was comfortable and ready to receive care.

Where people lacked capacity to make specific decisions, staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Best interest decisions were recorded appropriately, and involvement from family members or advocates was documented. This ensured that care was delivered lawfully and in line with people’s wishes. The staff had received training on consent and mental capacity and demonstrated a good understanding of how to apply this knowledge in practice. The home had made appropriate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications and monitored the progress of the applications.