Fylde and Wyre Short Break Services

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.

Relatives confirmed they were involved in creating care plans when people first started using the service. However, we received mixed feedback about whether they were involved in reviews; and review sheets were not always completed, making it difficult to determine when care plans were last reviewed.

The provider had a process in place to capture any changes to people’s needs in pre-visit calls, and share important information about people’s stays in post-visit calls, but calls were not consistently completed. One relative said, “Pre-calls seem to have stopped.” This was also reflected in records and responses to a recent survey carried out by the service.

There was generally a good level of detail in people’s care plans and associated information, but this did vary from 1 person to another. For example, a care plan we reviewed had a comprehensive health action plan and communication passport in place, but at the time of inspection this had not been completed for everyone.

Following feedback, the registered manager acknowledged improvements needed to ensure a consistent process was in place, to check and record changes to people’s needs. They assured us that improvements to health action plans and communication passports were ongoing.

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 attended local registered manager network meetings and received updates from the provider and other agencies such as Skills for Care, to ensure they kept themselves up to date with changes to guidance and best practice. Any changes that were implemented following these updates were shared with staff on the service’s Microsoft Teams channel.

People’s dietary needs, risks and preferences were included in people’s care plans, a folder in the kitchen included one-page dietary information for ease of reference. Guidance from the speech and language team was shared with staff.

Staff received specialist, person-centred training to support people with their percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy (PEG), and those we spoke to had a good level of knowledge about people’s specific needs. PEGs are used to administer medication or feed people directly into the stomach through a tube.

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 we spoke to confirmed communication at the service was good. A staff member said, “We have handovers morning and afternoon. It’s working well. Any updates from healthcare partners would come through the manager and be added to the communication book.” Daily diaries were used to share information about people’s stays with relatives and day centres.

The registered manager facilitated positive working relationships with health and social care partners. One social care partner told us, “Communication has been professional, and I have found staff to be cooperative and dedicated to working positively when I have needed to collaborate with them.”

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.

Due to the nature of the service, staff were not usually responsible for organising healthcare appointments, routine tests or referrals, but appropriate support was provided for people during emergency placements or longer stays. The registered manager provided information or attended multi-disciplinary team meetings on behalf of people, contributing to clinical reviews.

There was information about people’s healthcare needs, associated risks, signs of deterioration and how staff should respond, in people’s care plans and health action plans. At the time of our inspection, health action plans were being reviewed to ensure information was more detailed and person-centred.

The registered manager explained how people were encouraged to eat healthier, where this has been identified by healthcare partners or requested by people or their relatives. People had access to exercise such as walking and swimming during their stays.

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 service consistently monitored people’s health and wellbeing needs to promote positive outcomes. People’s nutritional and elimination, seizure and behavioural records were detailed, and evidence was used when considering additional support or equipment needed.

Staff worked hard to improve outcomes relating to people’s quality of life. A relative explained their loved one had some issues when they first stayed at the service. With consistently positive input from staff, they had started to enjoy their stays and be more involved in group activities and special events. They told us, “[Staff] do their best. They got [person] into the main lounge on New Year’s Eve for a little party which they joined in on.” Other relatives told us people’s behaviour had become more settled, or they had made new friends since they started staying at the service.

Staff spoke enthusiastically about the people they supported and were committed to improving their experiences. A staff member told us about a situation in which a person’s supported living placement had broken down, they had since returned to the service and was, “Flourishing again.” Another added, “I like supporting people, making their lives better and giving them their independence.”

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

Staff had training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and could explain how they would seek consent. A staff member told us, “I would ask [people] and make sure I was speaking to people clearly and at their level of understanding.”

People’s care plans detailed their level of capacity and included information about the support people needed to make day-to-day decisions. For example, verbally and through facial expressions or body language.

The registered manager explained capacity assessments, best interest decision making records and consent forms were being reviewed as they were being transferred onto the new electronic care planning system.