Green Acres

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 provider had developed a Pathway Tool which set out the process staff should follow to ensure people’s needs were assessed and kept under review. This included a pre-admission assessment and a review 6 weeks after moving into the home. People’s risk assessments and support plans were then reviewed by staff every 3 months, or sooner if their needs changed, and reviewed annually with input from people’s relatives and any relevant professionals.

Staff planned and delivered people’s care in collaboration 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.

The registered manager attended monthly meetings with the managers of other services operated by the provider. The registered manager told us these meetings were used to ensure managers were kept up to date about any changes to legislation or good practice guidance. Any changes were discussed and shared with staff at team meetings.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met in line with current guidance. Staff encouraged people to be involved in planning the menu and promoted healthy eating. A member of staff told us, “We get them involved [in choosing the menu], and we have got to know their favourites, so we include those. Luckily they all like good food, lots of veggies." Some people had been assessed by a speech and language therapist and guidance put in place about how staff should prepare their food. Staff followed this guidance to ensure people were supported to eat safely.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing information effectively when people moved between different services.

There was a plan in place for each shift which ensured accountability for the provision of people’s care and support, and the running of the service. Staff beginning their shift had a handover from staff completing the previous shift, which ensured they were up to date about any concerns, appointments, or changes in people’s care.

Team meetings were held monthly and staff told us these were useful opportunities to talk through issues as a team. A member of staff told us, “These meetings in my opinion are very good. We talk about what is working well, any problems we have, we share information about any changes.”

Staff told us they supported one another well and said there was a good sense of teamwork at the service. One member of staff told us, “Everyone is really helpful here, and there is good communication between staff.” Another member of staff said, “We are a good team; we know our responsibilities and we support each other."

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.

Relatives told us staff supported their family members to maintain good health. They said staff worked well with healthcare professionals to achieve this. One relative told us, “The specific support needed is not complex but important. It concerns hand and oral hygiene and weight management including healthy eating. The success is based on good collaboration with us and with [family member’s] specialist professionals.”

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.

People had annual health checks and regular checks with other healthcare professionals, including dentists and opticians. If people developed needs in relation to their health or wellbeing, staff took action to ensure they received the care and treatment they needed. For example, staff had observed a change in one person’s health and scheduled a GP appointment as a result. The GP had arranged a blood test, which had identified a potential basis for the change. The registered manager told us a follow up appointment had been arranged with the GP to discuss potential treatment options.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and support. Staff understood the importance of obtaining people’s consent before providing their support. One member of staff told us, “Everything we do, we are asking them first.”

Where necessary, assessments had been carried out to determine whether people had capacity to make informed decisions about their care. Assessments were decision-specific in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice. If people did not have capacity to make decisions, appropriate procedures had been followed to ensure any decisions made were in people’s best interests.