Longlast

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 79 (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 had comprehensive, person-centred assessments, health action plans, hospital passports, oral health plans and communication information which were reviewed regularly and updated when needs changed. Staff understood people's individual needs well and ensured people were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care.

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. Care records showed people had assessments and received support in relation to all their physical and emotional needs. Staff received training relevant to people's needs, including learning disabilities, autism, positive behaviour support, dementia and oral health. Health professionals' advice was incorporated into care plans and staff followed specialist guidance, for example occupational therapy recommendations. People had detailed health action plans and hospital passports, with staff acting appropriately on professional advice.

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 maintained positive relationships with GPs and health and social care professionals. Records showed information was shared appropriately and staff advocated on people's behalf to ensure they received timely healthcare interventions and support. Feedback from professionals was consistently positive. One professional told us staff were, "Collaborative and responsive to queries and requests" and another said staff were, "Always knowledgeable about the people they care for."

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. People were encouraged and supported to access health screening programmes, health checks and specialist appointments. Easy-read health information was developed to help people understand healthcare procedures and make informed decisions. People were supported to attend breast screening awareness sessions and community activities that supported physical and emotional wellbeing. Staff promoted healthy eating, physical activity and healthcare access through person-centred approaches tailored to individual needs. A person told us, "I'm getting my weight down, I've been on the scales."

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. The provider had a strong, embedded culture of continuous improvement and consistently achieved exceptional outcomes for people. Effective systems were in place to monitor, review and evaluate progress towards personalised goals, ensuring support remained focused on what mattered most to people.

People achieved meaningful and life-enhancing outcomes through highly individualised support. This included regaining mobility following major surgery, returning to horse riding, increasing independence, enjoying holidays after years of not travelling and developing confidence with fire safety procedures. Staff worked proactively with healthcare professionals and adapted support creatively to help people overcome barriers and achieve their goals.

Feedback from relatives and professionals consistently highlighted the positive impact of support on people’s wellbeing, confidence and independence. One relative said, “There is a vast improvement in her personality, her sense of humour has developed, she eats more variety of food.” Another relative told us, “She's totally independent (as much as she can be) since moving there.”A professional described staff's exceptional understanding of one person’s needs leading to improved outcomes, reducing the person’s anxiety and distressed behaviour. They told us, “Staff have a better understanding of [person]. She gets a bit distressed, but she can regulate quickly, and they [staff] can regulate her quickly.”

The provider was able to clearly demonstrate how learning, reflection and improvement activities directly enhanced people's quality of life and helped them achieve outcomes that exceeded expectations.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. The provider sought people's consent whenever possible and followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when people required support with decision-making. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are supported to do so. When people lack capacity to make a specific decision, any decisions made on their behalf must be in their best interests and be the least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.

Care records contained information about people’s capacity and decision-making abilities. Staff were observed asking people for consent during day-to-day support and adapting communication to ensure people understood choices available to them. MCA and best-interest processes were used appropriately when required.