Sycamore 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.

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. Care plans included people's preferences and what was important to them, such as what activities they liked and how often they liked to keep in contact with their family.

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 were supported by a range of professionals, such as community learning disability teams and dieticians. People had an annual health review in place, in line with best practice guidance. Positive behaviour support training was provided by a British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD) accredited training provider, which aimed to reduce restrictive practices in care settings.

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. We received positive feedback from partners who worked with the service. Staff told us they worked well together as a team. A staff member said, “It is a good place to work. The managers are lovely; I can speak to them about anything.” People had hospital passports in place, which shares key information with hospital staff, should they be required to attend or stay in hospital.

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 exercise, such as going swimming, horse riding and going for walks. People had an annual health review with their GP. People had a varied diet, which included fresh fruit and vegetables. A relative said, “[Name] has maintained a (healthy) weight. Staff are very kind and helpful, they always keep me up to date about everything, such as Dr's appointments.”

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. Relatives told us staff had improved their loved one’s lives. A relative said, “Staff are kind, [name] is very relaxed around the staff. I wish I had found that place years ago.” Feedback surveys were undertaken for people, these could be improved by evidencing what action was taken following these surveys. We observed staff supporting people to spend time in the community, and carrying out in-house activities.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Where people lacked capacity to make decisions, their capacity was appropriately assessed. People had Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisations in place as required. We observed staff seeking consent from people and relatives told us staff treat their loved ones with compassion and in line with their needs.