Ruby 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.

People's needs were assessed before and during their time at the service to ensure care and support reflected their individual needs and preferences. People had detailed, person-centred support plans which described the support they required from staff, and how they preferred this support to be provided.

Care plans reflected people's physical and mental health, emotional wellbeing and social needs. This helped staff deliver consistent and personalised care. Care plans were completed by experienced senior staff and leaders and were reviewed regularly to ensure they remained accurate and relevant. People had clear positive behaviour support plans (PBSP) to guide staff when they showed signs of distress.

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 received care and treatment that was based on assessed need, current best practice and professional guidance. The provider had completed a Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) risk assessment for a person. A MUST is screening tool to identify adults, who are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition (undernutrition), or obese. They were actively involved and had been supported to lose weight successfully.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing information effectively when people moved between different services. Staff began their shift with a handover from the previous shift, which ensured they were up to date about any concerns, appointments, or changes in people’s care. There were regular staff meetings, and the minutes were shared with all the staff team.

People were supported to manage their health and wellbeing in a way that promoted independence, choice and control. Staff worked proactively with people to maintain healthy lifestyles and, where possible, reduce future care and support needs.

People had timely access to healthcare professionals and specialist services when required. Care plans contained detailed and personalised guidance for staff on meeting health-related needs, including support with mental health and sleep difficulties. Leaders demonstrated effective oversight of people's health by identifying concerns, discussing appropriate interventions and agreeing actions, including referrals to relevant professionals. This coordinated approach helped ensure people received the support they needed to maintain and improve their health and wellbeing.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent. Systems were in place to monitor and respond to changes in people’s health. Care plans set out people’s needs, and staff worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals to review risks, monitor progress and support people to achieve positive outcomes. Health professionals gave positive feedback about staff and the service.

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

Throughout our visit, we observed people being offered meaningful choices that reflected their individual needs, preferences and abilities. This included decisions about their daily routines, care and participation in activities. Staff took time to explain options in ways people could understand, enabling them to make informed decisions and maintain as much control as possible over their lives. This supported people's independence and ensured care was delivered in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

Where people were assessed as lacking capacity to make specific decisions, decision-specific Mental Capacity Act (MCA) assessments had been completed and appropriately recorded. When individuals were unable to make certain decisions independently, the provider involved those important to them, along with relevant professionals where appropriate, to ensure decisions were made in their best interests.