SureCare Rugby & North Warwickshire

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 83 (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 prior to the service starting to ensure these could be met safely. People and their relatives, where appropriate had been involved in planning their care and reviews.

A relative told us, “When the family realised [Person] needed more support, the visit from SureCare to talk to us as about what they could do to help was invaluable, they were very professional.”

People’s care records were person centred. An assessment of their needs was included for example, communication, health and mobility. People also had regular check-ups with health and social care professionals.

Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected any changes in people’s needs or preferences.

Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people’s needs and told us they were kept up to date about any changes. One staff member told us, “As a senior, I still complete care calls which helps me to monitor people’s needs to ensure their package of care continues to meet their needs safely.”

Feedback shared from a social care professional who worked closely with the service was, “With their perseverance, commitment and professionalism, the older person was able to remain living in their own home for as long as possible before a move to residential care became necessary."

The provider always 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. They worked to develop evidence-based good practice and standards.

The provider used recognised tools to assess and identify risks to providing people’s care and support, for example to assess the risk of skin damage and falls.

A relative told us, “The carers are meticulous. [Person] is prone to chest infections, and they monitor him closely and inform me of any concerns.”

Staff were trained to use a nationally recognised digital health monitoring system to record and track people’s vital signs for example, blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature to generate a National Early Warning Score (NEWS2), which is used by the NHS to detect early signs of deterioration. Care staff then shared this information with the relevant health care professional alongside any changes in the person’s wellbeing to support effective, early intervention and reduce potential hospital admissions.

The service worked closely with health and social care professionals to ensure they delivered care safely. Care records incorporated professional guidance for staff to follow to ensure people’s care was delivered as directed and in line with evidence-based practice.

Staff had received training related to people’s health conditions to ensure they could support the person safely, for example epilepsy and swallowing difficulties.

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.

Relatives told us they were happy with the support provided to their loved ones. One relative told us, “I am grateful to the carers who keep an eye on [Person], they are a godsend.” Another relative said, “The carers really help to take some of the heavy load of us and I have never felt judged by any of them.”

Care records showed when health and social care professionals had been contacted to discuss a person’s care and the outcome of these discussions. A social care professional who worked closely with the service told us, “They communicate regularly with me, appropriately sharing and reporting concerns and demonstrate a consistent commitment to collaborative working."

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.

People and relatives were happy with the support received. One relative told us, “The carer is absolutely brilliant and knows [Person] well. They will let me know if they think [Person] needs to see the GP or district nurse.” Another relative said, “Before starting with SureCare, [Person] used to get quite a lot of infections due to their catheter and only occasional visits from the district nurse. Once the carer started, they set about organising a supply of catheter bags for [Person] and spoke with the district nurse who agreed to increase their calls to fortnightly so they could stop the infections for [Person].”

People’s care records included information of their health conditions. They included information about symptoms staff needed to respond to promptly including contact details for the appropriate healthcare professional. Staff confirmed they had the information they needed to care for people effectively.

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Robust processes were in place to monitor the care and support people received. Where people had risks identified with their health, care records detailed outcomes and any monitoring required to ensure their needs were safely met. For example, in relation to skin integrity, nutrition and their mental wellbeing.

Where needed staff completed detailed records to evidence the monitoring of for example, dietary intake and urine output. This enabled staff to monitor people closely and identify if their needs were being met or when a change was needed to improve an outcome.

People and relatives spoke positively about staff describing them as, ‘observant’, ‘proactive’ and ‘knowledgeable’. Without exception, people and relatives were confident staff would note any changes and respond quickly to ensure they received the appropriate medical advice and treatment. Examples shared were early signs of chest and urine infections and being prescribed antibiotics promptly.

One relative told us, “[Person] had a real downturn last year. Was having falls at night, really struggling during the day and forgetting to eat. When SureCare started it was 4 calls a day as [Person] was identified as having eating issues, but after about 4-5 weeks, they had really improved under their care and now only needs 1 call once a day in the morning to set her up. [Person] hasn’t had any more falls since they started either.”

Another relative said, “[Person] has epilepsy and all the carers know how to handle their seizures safely and so far, have never had to call a GP or an ambulance.”

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

People told us their choices were respected. One person told us, “I have things done the way I want them done, if anything changes, I just tell them and they always accommodate it.” Another person said, “The carer always asks permission before doing anything. She asks what shower gel I’d like; I have 2 or 3 different ones in the bathroom.”

A relative said, “The carer explains what they are going to do. If [Person] says no, then that is respected.”

The management team and staff understood the importance of consent and assuming people had capacity to make decisions about their care and support under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

Staff confirmed they had received training about the requirements of the MCA and demonstrated an understanding of its principles. One staff member told us, “It’s important to talk to the person throughout, ask for their consent and wait for this to be given before doing anything. We can’t force them.”