Andrews Court 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. However, some care plans needed updating to reflect their current support requirements. The management team took action to update the plans.

People’s needs were formally assessed using a range of assessment tools, these were reviewed regularly to identify if people’s needs had changed. People’s communication methods were documented within care plans to enable effective communication.

People were assessed daily by staff who knew them well, with updates shared at daily handover meetings. For example, staff noted one person was leaning forward and suggested this was a known indicator of them having an infection and guided the following shift to monitor. One person told us, “They [staff] would notice if I was unwell and call a doctor for me.”

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.

Staff, including kitchen staff, were aware of people’s specific dietary needs. People had enough to eat and drink to prevent malnutrition or dehydration and were supported to manage their dietary needs and associated risks.

Staff had a good understanding and knowledge of what approaches to use to support people’s preferences, health, or behavioural needs. However, some care plans needed updating to reflect staff knowledge. The management team took immediate action to address this.

Management and staff worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people relevant documentation of their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Managers and staff worked effectively with health and social care partners, to share information about people or ensure delegated tasks were carried out. A health professional shared, “[Management] know the residents well and work collaboratively with community services to ensure residents receive appropriate support. They access relevant services in a timely manner.”

Staff felt there was good teamwork and effective communication between themselves and with management. One staff member told us, “We all work together really well. We are like a family. [Registered manager] wants to know what is going on. She offers advice and guidance. She is there to help us out.”

Staff were aware of people’s preferences and needs and they said they were kept up to date if any changes happened by daily meetings and good communication with the management team.

Management and staff supported people to live healthier lives by managing 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.

Management and staff worked with relatives and healthcare professionals to ensure people had access to healthcare. Health professionals such as district nurses, therapists and advocates visited regularly to review people’s health needs. One health professional told us by email, “The management team, are proactive in supporting residents’ care needs and regularly refer to our service for support.”

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes consistently met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Staff supported people to achieve positive outcomes to their health and quality of life. One relative told us, “[Family member] has got stronger since she has been in here.” A second relative said, “The home has arranged for nurses to come here rather than my [family member] go to hospital.”

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

The management team worked in partnership with people, their families, advocates and representatives in line with The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff completed training in MCA and understood the concept of consent.

We observed staff gain consent from people before completing any tasks. We saw consent for care and treatment was obtained in people’s care plans and records. The provider made applications to the local authority if people were at risk of being deprived of their liberty.

Staff knew how to communicate with people in their preferred way when seeking consent, including using a language app to speak with people whose first language was not English. At mealtimes we observed people being served drinks and offered a choice.