Help at Home Care Service

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

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.

The provider completed initial assessments and reviews of people’s needs. People we spoke with told us they had been involved in care plan reviews. However, people’s communication needs were not always clearly documented. The provider advised they planned to strengthen documentation relating to people’s communication needs.

A relative told us, “I feel the carers cover all the duties in the given time and will do extra if needed, rather than leave early. There have been a couple of occasions when my [relative] was unwell when I was away and the carers stayed with my relative in my absence.” Care staff told us, “I would report to the on-call if there was a change or if extra time was needed and the office would speak to social services and extra time would be given.”

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.

Care staff were skilled and understood how to meet people’s individual needs and had a working knowledge of current best practice. Care staff told us, “We use bowel movement charts and monitor food and fluid intake.” Health care professionals told us, “Their [care staff] positive attitude and genuine commitment to providing quality care has made a significant difference to wellbeing and overall experiences.” Staff had information about the support people needed to eat and drink. People told us, “I have a care plan in the book, and the carers always check it off when they leave. If I need extra ‘one-off’ duties done beyond the plan the carers will do it for me.”

People’s care plans were updated regularly and directed staff on how to meet people’s needs.

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.

The service engaged positively with people’s relatives and involved health care staff to ensure people’s care needs were met. Care staff were consistently complimentary stating, “We leave notes in care records for each other like ‘washing in the machine’ and the next carer will empty the machine, we work pretty well as a team, we are supportive of each other.” Health professionals were complimentary of the service’s collaborative approach and told us, “[Manager and coordinator] have always been responsive, approachable and supportive.”

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.

The service always supported people to access health services when needed. Care staff were trained to report any changes in people’s needs, allowing the provider to respond appropriately to identified risks.

Staff made appropriate and timely referrals to support people to stay healthy. Staff followed the recommendations from professionals, who confirmed staff worked closely with them to ensure people’s health and medical needs were met. Care staff told us, “I like that they have a good balanced diet, food presented nicely, talk to them about what they do like to eat, what they don’t like to eat” and “I would speak to the day centre and memory cafes, sign post if they needed any help with domestic care and point in the right direction to maintain a good life balance.”

People and relatives told us, “The carers will promote my independence by letting me wash the dishes, and they don’t overstep me for this” and “Often the carers will do more than what’s on the care plan which is great. There was one occasion when my relative suffered an asthma attack and the carers stayed with us until the ambulance arrived.”

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.

Incidents had been effectively reviewed to check outcomes were appropriate and if actions were needed to improve the care individuals received. People’s health was monitored. Staff understood the importance of reporting changes in people’s needs and escalating concerns to relevant healthcare professionals. A professional told us, “They feed back any concerns immediately and I know that if [manager] or [coordinator] call me for additional time then there is a genuine need for this.”

People and their relatives were consistently complimentary of the service provided. One commented, “They take everything on board and if they can’t find the answers, they will raise it to the next level”

Dates when care plans had been reviewed were recorded, there was limited evidence as to what had changed as a result of the review. However, people we spoke with did advise us they had been consulted regarding their care.

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

Staff understood the need for consent before providing care. We observed staff asking people how they wanted to be supported and checking with them before providing care. Our observations confirmed staff respected people’s choices and decisions. All care was provided in the least restrictive way. One person told us, “They [care staff] ask me do you want me to do this, or would you like me to do this, or is there anything else you want me to do.”