Nottingham DCA

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 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People we spoke with told us management staff assessed their needs prior to the care starting and continued to regularly review their needs with them. For example, where someone had a stoma in-situ, risk assessments were in place to guide staff on how to monitor for the risk of infection. Staff told us they were supported and encouraged to feedback changes to people’s needs or gap’s in care planning.

People we spoke with did not or were not able to comment on evidence-based care and treatment. However, our assessment showed people received care in line with current best practice and guidance for conditions such as stoma care. There were clear processes in place for staff to seek assistance or guidance in an emergency, including mental health outreach and crisis support.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Other professionals who worked with the service, such as the local authority, gave positive feedback about the provider and their interactions with them. One professional said, “The provider communicates very well and in a timely manner, they are very person centred and clearly want good outcomes for the people they support.”

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. Not everyone the provider supported needed support with health and wellbeing, but where needed care plans contained guidance for staff on how to promote this. For example, care plans detailed how to support people to reduce isolation and loneliness as well as how to support people to express feelings or concerns such as pain and discomfort.

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. People told us they and their loved ones where appropriate were encouraged to express their views and wishes about how they wished their care to be delivered. Staff confirmed they were asked for regular feedback about people and their care. One staff member said, “I don’t write the care plans, but I am always asked for my feedback. I spend the most time with [name] so management value my thoughts on what is and isn’t working.” This ensured an effective and holistic approach to monitoring and improving outcomes.

Care plans did not always show people’s involvement in consent to their care or how the provider ensured this was undertaken. When care plans were reviewed there was no evidence recorded to show people’s feedback or agreement to this. However, people consistently told us staff always sought their consent prior to support being given and confirmed they were involved in their care planning. We raised the issue of recording consent with the provider who agreed to review how this was monitored or recorded.

Where people required information in a different format to help them understand and consent to care we saw evidence of personlised easy read documents being provided.