Blandford Grange Care Home

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.

Records showed people’s needs had been assessed prior to moving into the service, and were regularly reviewed with relatives and healthcare professionals as appropriate. A new, ‘resident of the day’ process had been implemented to help ensure people’s needs were assessed and reflective of their current wishes. Families were contacted to give input in these reviews and to discuss their relatives care.

Staff told us if there were any changes to people’s assessed needs and support plans, they were kept up to date by the registered manager verbally or via email.

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 told us their care needs and personal preferences were discussed with them and carried out by staff who were consistent in their approach which they considered to be important.

Staff worked closely with specialist professionals to ensure the support provided for people met with nationally recognised good practice standards for needs such as mobility, mental health and nutrition. People’s nutrition and hydration needs were identified and monitored using aMalnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). This is used to determine the risk of, and mange risks of malnutrition or obesity. Guidance was in place for all staff around modified diets and training was offered in this area.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people.

Staff were positive about how the team worked together to provide consistent support for people. Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals such as district nurses, occupational and physio therapists. A nurse practitioner visited people at the home once a week (or sooner if requested). This helped to ensure people continued to receive safe and appropriate support which met their needs.

Systems were in place to ensure information about people was shared appropriately with other services when needed. Hospital passports had been developed to ensure easy information sharing. Staff worked well together and completed handovers to ensure all staff were updated on people’s care and health.

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.
 

People were supported to use a range of services to help maintain a healthier life such as, chiropody, opticians and dentists. People were also encouraged to maintain a healthy diet and to exercise. Staff respected people’s choices in regard to this.

Support plans set out people’s health needs and lifestyle choices. Staff knew people very well and were alert to any changes in their well-being and health. If staff had any concerns they sought appropriate professional advice in a timely way.

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.
 

Records showed people’s support was regularly assessed and monitored together with them and others who were important in their lives. Support plans recorded any changes to people’s needs or personal preferences, and how to meet them. Staff spoke enthusiastically about supporting people to achieve good outcomes by promoting opportunities and experiences that took account of their diverse needs and preferences.

Staff understood how to ensure people’s rights were fully respected and had received training and supervision to ensure it was happening in practice.

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

People were supported in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been completed with input from relevant parties such as relatives, healthcare professionals and support staff.

Staff received training in MCA processes. They demonstrated their understanding of supporting people’s rights around consent. We saw, for example, how they used people’s preferred communication methods to ensure people had the right information to make their choices and decisions. Such as recognising facial expressions when a person was experiencing discomfort. Where people lacked capacity to make specific choices and decisions, staff followed support plans and used their in-depth knowledge of a person to ensure they received good care in line with their needs and wishes.