Alternative Smart Solutions LTD

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 newly registered 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 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 care plans were updated as their needs changed. Care plans contained information about people’s health and care. The provider worked well with health professionals around people’s needs. A relative told us, “They help with communication with the GP.” A person told us, “My staff works it all out. I had problems with my health appointments; they sorted it all out for me.”

Reviews of care and support were held, and people and their relatives were involved.

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 registered manager had researched people’s health conditions and provided staff with information which supported people to receive effective care. Care plans were developed and staff had guidance on how to meet people’s individual needs. The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding on best practice in terms of person-centred care and people taking positive risks.

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 electronic care planning system in use meant that summaries of care plans and reports could be produced for services, relatives and staff. An example of this was a summary of a person’s needs was produced for health and hospital appointments.
 

Written handover notes were completed every day and the registered manager checked that staff read these at the start of their shifts.

A professional who worked with a person using the service told us, “They had a very good relationship with the provider. They had a shared a messaging group so that they worked well together and could share information.” The provider worked well with others, for example, they provided additional support hours for a person to enjoy recreational activities and staff supported the person to learn to swim.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The provider supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Health action plans were completed for all people and these set out how to meet their health and wellbeing needs. Care and support plans contained information regarding people’s nutrition and hydration needs, and staff had received training in these areas. People had continence support plans and skin integrity plans where needed. Records showed people received regular health checks, and that the registered manager communicated changes in health needs to relatives and health professionals as appropriate.

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 worked well with healthcare professionals in the monitoring of any recommendations, so people had positive outcomes. Outcomes were reviewed with people and their relatives. A relative told us, “We speak to the registered manager nearly every day about improving the care of our loved one.”

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

Staff understood people's right to make choices about their care and the importance of gaining consent. A person told us, "They always knock before coming in to help with the shower and they always ask before starting to help me”

People told us staff respected their choices about their care, and this was recorded in people’s care plans. The provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and understood their responsibility protect people’s rights and choices.