Heathlands Care Home

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 home had systems in place for assessing people's care and support needs before they joined the service. Assessment times were clearly communicated, ensuring relatives were informed and actively involved in the process, relatives we spoke to confirmed this.

This inclusive approach supported shared decision-making and respected people’s preferences, leading to more personalised care planning. Relatives reported feeling reassured, describing how their involvement helped inform care outcomes. Staff reviewed assessments ensuring care remained responsive and effective.

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.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and this met their choices. We noted when discussing with the chef and touring the kitchen the variety of meals and drinks available and the chefs and staff were aware who had specific dietary needs, records clearly stated this Alternatives were available when people changed their minds. Culturally specific meals were also provided if people wanted them. People were offered high quality and a variety of diets for people's specific needs, for example, chopped, pureed, diabetic, low fat, low salt. Food moulds were used to improve the presentation of pureed food.

One person said, “I've just had my breakfast. I can choose from a load of things. I like the food here it's good. I can sometimes change my mind and they will have something else to give me.”

A relative said of the food, “I’ve tried the food, it’s excellent. They cater for everyone’s needs and dietary requirements.”

Staff demonstrated the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver effective care; one relative told us, “Staff know what they were doing, I see the carers interact with each other and the deputy manager is brilliant with [person]."

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.

There were clear systems to support timely and effective information sharing between staff, external professionals, and families.

The home worked collaboratively with health professionals including GP’s, district nurses and occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Care records and communication pathways were regularly updated to reflect people's health needs and preferences, enabling coordinated and responsive care. Information was shared securely and appropriately to ensure people received good continuity of care.

Staff understood the importance of clear documentation and demonstrated a commitment to collaborative working, ensuring that individuals received care and treatment tailored to their needs.

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 benefited from support that enabled them to live healthier lives and maintain their independence. One person told us, “Since I've been here I think my mobility has improved and I've had no falls since.” Staff promoted physical wellbeing through personalised care plans, exercise opportunities, and falls prevention. Improvements in mobility and reduction in incidents reflected the service’s proactive approach to maintaining and enhancing people’s health. This supported people to have confidence, reduce risk, and experience a better quality of life.

We saw people had arranged to have their own health professionals attend to visit the home such as physiotherapists to support them to be healthy and gain greater mobility.

Relatives were grateful for the support staff provided to their family members when it came to keeping them healthy and active where possible. A relative said, “They do encourage [person] to get up and do some exercise."

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.

Staff closely monitored people’s health and wellbeing to improve outcomes and respond to changes promptly. Comments from a member of the nursing team who said, “If the nurse said someone didn’t sleep well, was coughing or not breathing well, we would monitor them and check vital signs. If their condition is not stable, we call the doctor.” Another member of staff said, “We noticed [person] was coughing more and sounded gargly, the nurses then referred them.” This demonstrated a responsive and safety-focused culture where staff took concerns seriously, observed signs of illness, and shared information to ensure timely medical support. Relatives confirmed they were contacted about changes in their family members health. A relative said, “We can always call and ask about the care and they [staff] do ring us if [person] has had a fall.”

Systems for monitoring outcomes included regular checks and communication logs all of which supported people to remain stable and avoid deterioration. A member of the nursing team said, “I check every day the fluids and during allocation I’m constantly monitoring [people] and can see a difference."

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

Records confirmed consent to care was requested before care began. We observed staff ask for permission before administering medicine and when they were about to support people during personal care and moving and handling.

Where appropriate, relatives confirmed they were asked to provide consent where their family member was unable to. The registered manager and deputy manager were fully aware of the Mental Capacity Act as were all staff and the need to follow the law and ensure people were empowered to make their own decisions. Best interest meetings took place to ensure people were supported to have care and treatment to ensure their health and wellbeing.

Staff told us how they encouraged people to make decisions for themselves and provide consent. A member of staff commented, “Even with clothing choices you take a variety. E.g. [person] you show them and can say yeah or no."