Right at Home Eastbourne

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.

The registered manager or another member of the management team carried out thorough pre-assessments on people before starting the care package. This was to ensure they could meet peoples’ expectations and needs. This included meeting the person concerned either in hospital or their own home and completing an assessment of their needs. Families and advocates were involved in this process if possible.

The management team tried to ensure people were matched with staff to make sure the most effective support was provided. Once the care package had started, the team would check in a few days later to ensure the visits were completed appropriately and to see if anything else was needed. There was another review after the first month and then regular reviews thereafter. People and families confirmed that these happened, but not all had seen the care plan. This was discussed with the registered manager.

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 visit times were agreed with people to fit in with their daily routines and preferences. Sometimes times were adjusted to enable people to attend medical or social appointments. Professionals contributed to people’s care plans where specialist advice was needed and to assist carers in their daily support for people. Where appropriate reports and notes were included from occupational therapists, district nurses and speech and language therapists. All of this information was accessible to staff through their mobile phone application, to which they added their own notes with the most up to date information about people and their current 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.

Care plans, risk assessments and other key documents regarding each person had been completed and maintained by the service so that the most recent updates and information were available to carers and other professionals having involvement with people.

Each care plan had a summary page outlining key information about people, their current health, historical medical information and key personal and professional points of contact. This document helped inform other professionals when people moved between services or attended appointments.

The registered manager had positive relationships with other professionals involved in people’s care and this was similarly reported back to us by professionals. One told us, “[Registered manager] informs me of any concerns and always follows up with a plan or answer. Another said, “They are good at alerting us to concerns they have about their clients and attend professional meetings as requested.”

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.

Staff supported people to manage their own health needs where possible. They supported people to attend appointments and complete tasks to stay independent and healthy.

Staff supported some people with their nutrition. They helped people to maintain a diet of their choice. Nutritional care plans contained information about what people liked to eat and drink, including tea and coffee preferences. Care plans directed staff to ensure drinks were accessible, for example, before they left the visit, to help maintain hydration. One relative said, “They

Always make sure [name] has drinks and food nearby,” and “They ensure they give the care required and leave them safe.” One person told us, “They are good, always remind me to eat and drink.”

Staff told us that if a person was unwell, they would contact the relevant health professional or report their concerns to the office staff who made the referral on their behalf.

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.

There was clear evidence that people’s needs were regularly reviewed, both as part of scheduled annual reviews and in response to any changes in their circumstances. These reviews considered people’s individual goals and desired outcomes, as well as the progress made towards achieving them, ensuring care remained relevant and person‑centred.Staff gave examples of how outcomes for people were monitored and reviewed to drive improvements. They used a range of methods to monitor people’s care, including monitoring visits, care reviews, and spot checks. Care review records showed how care was adapted to meet people’s changing needs and preferences.

In the event of a clinical need the service would implement medically approved measures to monitor people’s needs. For example, the use of a nutritional tool which measured people’s nutritional intake and identified those at risk of malnutrition. Food and fluid intake charts were also available, and staff trained in their completion if they were needed. People who had developed pressure sores were monitored closely and these were recorded on a body map. Any changes were monitored by staff, and relevant professionals were called upon for support if and when needed.

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

All staff received training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They told us they offered people choices and supported them to make their own decisions in all aspects of daily living, including access to food and drinks. Families confirmed this. Staff told us, “We do mental capacity training annually, if people refuse care, and the person has dementia, we try to figure out why they are refusing or why they are not comfortable. Some people prefer different staff, so we try to get that carer to support. If they have capacity and they refuse support, we will accept that, that is their choice.”