Amberwood Lodge

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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 service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Care plans contained information about people’s health, activities they enjoyed, dietary, and communication needs, enabling them to receive care and treatment that resulted in good outcomes.

Relatives told us they were involved in decisions about care for their family members. A relative said, “I am involved with care planning.”

Staff we spoke with knew people well and we observed them using people’s preferred communication method when interacting with them. A staff member told us, “I communicate with people verbally, using communication books and aids.”

The service 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’s nutrition and hydration needs were assessed and met. When required, people were referred to the speech and language therapist (SALT). SALT undertake assessments of swallowing or communication difficulties for people with medical, neurological and surgical conditions.People’s preferences were recorded in their care plans and known to staff.

Mealtimes were flexible to meet people's needs. We observed staff supported people in a person-centred way and ensured they had access to food they liked. Some people were independent with their food and staff supported them to retain their independence.

When asked, a person told us they liked the food at the service. We observed people eating their meals. One person told us they liked the food at the service.

The menu was varied and nutritional guidance and information was available to people in an easy read format. This meant people were provided information in a way that they could understand and which met their communication needs.

The service 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.

Where appropriate, relatives told us they were kept informed and involved in their family member’s care. One relative told us,“I feel there is good communication between myself and staff, including the manager.”

Staff had access to the information they needed to effectively assess, plan and deliver people’s care and support.The service documented people’s care plans and daily handovers on paper. However, people’s care notes were completed using the service’s electronic recording system. This meant staff were able to check people’s notes and share information easily.

Feedback from health and social care professionals was positive. A health and social care professional said, “My experience is that the staff are respectful of their residents and consider their preferences when providing care. The staff have referred for more specialist in- put when appropriate, for example an occupational therapy assessment, GP reviews.”

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People were supported to see healthcare professionals when required and to attend their yearly health checks. The service had effective working relationships with a wide range of health and social care professionals whose visits were recorded and easily accessed by staff.

Staff monitored people’s weight and information was shared with healthcare professionals when appropriate.

People were supported to access healthier dietary choices to promote and maintain their health.

The service 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.

People’s care records showed staff identified and responded to changes in people’s health and wellbeing in a timely manner. Staff monitored people’s health daily and knew how to escalate concerns if people’s condition changed.

Staff confirmed they knew people well and worked as a team to achieve positive outcomes for them.

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

Staff had received training in relation to the MCA and had a comprehensive understanding of the MCA and the importance of gaining consent. A staff member said, “We have all had thorough training on the MCA, it’s vitally important for my role.”

Where someone was legally authorised to make decisions on a person’s behalf, the provider had not always retained copies of the relevant documentation. The registered manager responded to our feedback by obtaining the required copies.

Records showed MCA assessments had been completed for individual decisions. Where appropriate and in relation to more complex decisions, relatives and professionals were involved with making decisions in people’s best interests.

People confirmed they were given choices and asked what they wanted to do.