HF Trust Devon

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 service scored 71 (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 did not always make sure people’s care and treatment were effective because they did not always check and discuss people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People received tailored support which was centred around their assessed needs, choices and decisions. People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service through initial assessments. The information gathered during the assessment was used to develop support plans and risk assessments. People's care plans were detailed, and regular reviews were undertaken.

Staff had not always ensured people and relatives where appropriate were included in the review process. One relative told us “I have never seen a risk assessment for [name].” Another relative told us “We did a care plan review 6-8 weeks ago, but this was the first one in several years.”. A further relative told us “I've never had a copy of the care plan. I can't recall discussing risks and management of risks.”

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 provider demonstrated a good understanding and application of current good practice to assess and act on people’s needs. They ensured care planning was detailed and gave staff the right level of information to meet people’s needs. People received support from staff who knew them well, and who had the right training and support.

Staff received training regarding good practice and current legislation. For instance, ensuring staff training in learning disability and autism was delivered in line with The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, and providing best practice training in Positive Behavioural Support (PBS). PBS is a way of understanding the behaviour of an individual. It is based on an assessment of the social and physical environment in which the behaviour happens, includes the views of the individual and everyone involved, and uses this understanding to develop support which improves the quality of life for the person and others who are involved with them.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared their assessment of people’s needs when people moved between different services.

Staff worked well with external healthcare professionals. They made timely referrals when they identified people had a specific need. Management communicated with various professionals such as the local authority, GP and Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) teams.

Staff shared information with each other as necessary to help ensure people experienced continuity of care. Handover records were completed between staff shifts. Staff told us they were supported in their work and felt comfortable reaching out to their colleagues and management for support.

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.

There was information for staff on how to monitor and care for people to keep them safe and well. Care plans incorporated details of people's diagnosis and medical background. Care plans included details about how people’s health and medical conditions affected their everyday life and how staff could support them to overcome difficulties. Healthy eating and exercise were encouraged and were a part of people's care planning.

People were referred to services where required and were supported to maintain their health as needed. People told us they were supported to access healthcare services as and when needed. People’s records confirmed this, and staff could clearly explain how they helped people to attend healthcare appointments and take care of their health and wellbeing. People were supported to access, for example, their GP, specialist healthcare services, optician or dentist.

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.

Outcomes were set for people in their care plans. These detailed how people wanted to be supported to achieve their goals and outcomes. Care plans we reviewed showed evidence of outcomes being monitored and progression towards goals.

Daily notes were completed by staff. These enabled staff to monitor people and help staff respond to people’s changing needs promptly to help promote positive outcomes.

Staff we spoke with knew what was important to people and what outcomes they wanted from their support.

One relative told us “[name] used to get bored but they [staff] have helped [name] to find some charity shop work which [name] adores.”

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

Measures were in place to ensure people received the safest level of support in the least restrictive way possible. Care records contained the relevant level of information in relation to people's capacity and systems were in place to ensure consent to care was obtained.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. Information about people’s cognition were recorded in their care plans. Concerns about people’s mental capacity were escalated to the local authority and health care professionals.

Staff received training in the MCA. Staff understood consent, the principles of decision-making, mental capacity and deprivation of people's liberty.

One relative told us “I feel assured they always gain consent from [name] before supporting or sharing information about[name]on a need-to-know basis.”