Oldham 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. 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.

The registered manager completed an assessment of people’s needs before they were offered a place at the service. Upon admission, further detailed information was gathered from the individual and their relatives. This information was used to compile detailed care and support plans. Care records were regularly reviewed and updated as people’s needs changed.

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.

Following people’s admission to the service, staff used various assessment tools, such as the MUST (Malnutrition universal screening tool) to help identify any health concerns. The MUST score helps to identify if people are at risk of malnutrition. Staff knew people well. We saw them supporting individuals in ways which reflected their assessed needs.

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 was effective communication within the staff team and staff told us the team worked well together, to meet people’s needs. Handover meetings held when shifts changed ensured all staff were updated about people’s health and wellbeing. Some information was also shared through the staff WhatsApp group. Systems were in place to ensure information about people was shared appropriately with other services and healthcare professionals.

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.

Staff referred people promptly to health professionals when needed, such as the Speech and Language Therapy service (SALT) when people had swallowing problems.

People received a balanced diet, with choices of food at each meal and snacks and drinks in between. Overall people were happy with the quality of the food. One person told us, “The food is lovely and there is a choice every day." Another said, “The food is reasonable, some days I like it, others I'm not as keen, but they do have a choice." People’s weight was monitored, and they were referred to dieticians or their GP for advice if they had lost a significant amount of weight.

Care staff completed on-line training in some specific health conditions, such as diabetes, epilepsy, dementia awareness and sepsis. This gave them a basic understanding and helped them care for people with these health conditions.

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 and support was regularly reviewed, and action was taken promptly when any changes to their health needs were identified. We received positive feedback from a health professional who stated, “From a clinical point of view, I have not had any concerns. I have not found any patterns of concern.”

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

People’s care records contained consent forms, which covered areas such as consent to care and treatment and consent to be photographed. Where people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves, decisions had been made in their best interests in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) by those acting on their behalf. We saw how this process had been followed, for example for people requiring bed rails.

Staff interviews and training records showed up‑to‑date learning on MCA and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff explained how they sought people’s consent verbally before providing care and explained what they intended to do, before carrying out any care tasks. One staff member told us, “We ask what they would like to wear, what they would like to eat. What drink to have when taking medicines.”