Hounslow Supported Living 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.

This is the first assessment for this 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 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 assessed people’s needs and choices. Staff met with people and their relatives before people moved to the service. Staff discussed their wishes with them and worked alongside them to get to know about individual needs. People’s opinions and wishes were clearly recorded within their assessments. Staff developed care plans which reflected these needs. There were regular reviews and people were able to ask for changes. Relatives explained they were consulted. A relative commented, “I feel involved in [person’s] life.”

Staff delivered evidence-based care which met people’s needs and reflected best practice. Staff undertook a wide range of training, including specialist training about caring for people with a learning disability. The provider redeveloped and improved training plans and resources to meet identified needs. They introduced ‘subject matter experts.’ These were specially trained staff who provided additional guidance and support about a specific topic. Staff undertook qualifications in care and apprenticeships. Staff told us the training was helpful and they were able to request bespoke courses when they identified a need. A relative explained how staff received additional training when a person’s needs changed and they required support with a piece of equipment.

Managers shared best practice guidance and information with staff. They ensured care plans and assessments reflected this. An external professional commented, “The team demonstrates a strong commitment to professional development and engages positively with training opportunities.”

Staff worked well with each other to ensure people received person-centred care. Staff took part in regular meetings. They explained they always shared information, including learning when things went wrong.

Managers helped to deliver messages across the whole service and different schemes. The registered manager told us they regularly met with different staff groups and involved the staff in decision making. Staff told us they worked well as part of a wider team and that managers were accessible to them. They said they could speak up at meetings. Staff took part in regular individual supervision meetings and appraisals to discuss their work.

Staff worked collaboratively with external professionals and relatives to ensure people received holistic support. A relative explained, “[There is] a strong sense of teamwork, and everyone works together in a harmonious way.” Comments from professionals included, “There is open and honest communication which leads to better outcomes for people” and “Managers and staff consistently act in the best interests of people, acting as advocates and encouraging people to express their views.”

Staff provided exceptional support for people to lead healthier lives. Staff worked closely with other professionals to assess, monitor and meet people’s healthcare needs. Staff were able to provide multiple examples of how improving people’s health led to better outcomes in all areas of their lives. A relative commented, “[Manager] understands [person] and shared ideas for proactive ways to increase [their] quality of life.”

Staff focussed on health improvements to ensure support went beyond meeting clinical or care needs. For example, a person was diagnosed with a condition which significantly impacted their health and wellbeing. Staff recognised that through regular exercise and a healthier diet, their condition would improve. They helped the person to understand the importance of healthy lifestyle changes. As a result, the condition was brought into remission and the person’s health improved. The person also felt more confident, happier and had better opportunities to take part in things they enjoyed. Staff supported another person to increase their physical activity and cook their own healthier meals. The person’s weight improved, leading to greater independence and confidence.

The provider embedded a culture where staff understood the importance of health promotion and implemented innovative practices to achieve outcomes which enhanced people’s quality of life. For example, 1 person had a health condition which required regular tests. The person was extremely nervous of these. Interventions in the past had not been successful. The staff worked with the person to create a bespoke programme of care which centred around the person’s wishes and decisions. They supported the person to feel calmer around the process with the outcome that they received the treatment they needed in a positive way where they felt in control.

People were empowered to make healthier, informed choices and staff worked with them to monitor the impact. Staff creatively adapted the service to meet individual and diverse needs. For example, a person using the service had historically not engaged in any healthcare appointments. This had led to health concerns. Staff worked with the person and their relatives to build their trust with healthcare services. As a result, the person started to attend appointments with doctors and dentists. Their health and confidence in healthcare services improved. This led to a reduction in their medicines.

Staff monitored people’s wellbeing to help improve the quality of their lives and outcomes. Each person was allocated a keyworker. This was an assigned member of staff who regularly reviewed their care and helped the person to set personal objectives. They met with the person to plan how to achieve these objectives.

People were asked for their consent to care and treatment. The provider ensured people were involved in planning their own care and making choices each day. Staff obtained consent before they provided care or support. People confirmed this. Staff completed training to understand about consent and the relevant laws associated with this. Staff made sure care plans included information about how people made choices and any barriers to decision making.

The provider liaised with people’s representatives and those who were important to them to help make decisions in their best interests when people lacked the capacity to make more complex decisions.

Comments from relatives included, “Staff always check [person] has consented” and “Staff suggest different alternatives and I have witnessed them ask [person] for consent.”