Bassett 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.

The registered manager told us they tried to do all the pre-admission assessments of people’s needs. They aimed to do these assessments face to face with people where possible. Assessments were recorded and the information was used to produce a care plan in line with people’s needs. These assessments and care records had been reviewed and changed where needed. For example, 1 person was supported with care that adapted to their changing needs. As the individual’s abilities declined, the registered nurses took responsibility for a more clinical based approach to assess and meet the care of the person effectively.

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.

Where appropriate, people’s care plans were developed in partnership with them and included tailored support recommendations based on their health conditions. For example, a person who required specialist support at night had a plan in place which was developed with a nurse and the person.

Management and nursing staff kept up to date with current legislation and good practice guidance as part of their registration for their nursing qualification. Good practice guidelines were cascaded to all staff at the service.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were assessed and recorded in their care records. If people were at risk of malnutrition this was identified with details on what support staff needed to provide. For example, if people needed a fortified diet this was recorded. A fortified diet is provided to people who are at risk of malnutrition to try and increase calories and nutrients in order to gain weight. The registered manager shared regular updates with the kitchen staff on people’s nutritional needs. People’s feedback about food provision was mixed. Some people felt the food was a poor quality however, others thought it was “fantastic”. Everyone said they had a choice of meal.

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.

Staff worked in partnership with each other and with healthcare professionals from local health teams. For example, the local GP visited the service weekly to review people’s health needs. Community nurses visited regularly, and other health care professionals such as speech and language therapists (SALT) had been involved with people’s care. Feedback from professionals was very positive about the management and team approach. One professional told us, “I can say that I am very happy when I go to see patients at Bassett House. [Registered manager] is excellent. She always knows the patients, she knows the families she knows everything about them, which is brilliant. I have never had any cause for concern regarding general care. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable as is the manager.”

There was effective communication within the staff teams and staff told us the team worked well together, to meet people’s needs. Comments from staff included, “The team works really well together. Information for other health professionals is passed through the nurses” and “We work closely with the nurses.”

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.

Care plans identified if people were able to eat and drink independently and what their appetite was like. If people could not eat or drink without support, staff took immediate action to ensure support was provided. For example, staff recorded people’s daily intake of foods and fluids which were reviewed by the nursing team to determine whether care needed to be changed or if a referral to healthcare professionals was required.

People were supported to be involved in healthcare decisions and maintain as much independence as possible.

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’s care records demonstrated staff were consistently monitoring people’s health needs. Both nursing and care staff were involved in recording people’s outcomes. Nursing staff monitored clinical needs such as people’s temperatures and care staff monitored care delivery such as re-positioning or fluid intake.

If there were any changes to people’s needs, staff review their care plans, and healthcare advice was sought if needed. The registered manager told us staff also used monitoring records provided by healthcare professionals. This recorded information to be shared with those professionals and supported reviews of people’s needs. For example, for some people with dementia, episodes of distress were recorded on charts to be shared with dementia specialists. This meant specialist professionals could offer advice and support.

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

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff had received training on the MCA and understood how it applied to people’s care and support. Staff understood the need to follow the best interest decision making and told us they regularly discussed consent issues as part of group and individual meetings.

People’s care records included clear information about action staff had taken to support people with making decisions. For example, 1 person assessed as being at risk of choking was supported with a soft diet, in line with clinical recommendations. Their care records showed the person had been consulted and consented to having a soft diet. Where people’s consent fluctuated, care planning documents indicated people might refuse to give their consent at certain times of the day. There were guidelines for all staff about how to support people with this.