Archived: Howgate House

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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. Care records evidenced people, and their relatives were involved in assessing their needs and planning their care. Assessments were comprehensive and reflected people as individuals. They considered all aspects of people's care and support needs, including support with communication and health needs.

Staff knew people well. They understood people's care and support needs, including communication needs, and assisted them accordingly.

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.

People’s care and support was delivered in line with best practice guidelines. People were supported to choose meals that were healthy and met their nutritional and dietary requirements. People’s care plans recorded their nutritional needs, dietary requirements, likes, dislikes and any allergies. Where people were at risk of choking, there were guidelines for staff to follow to support people safely with their eating and drinking.

Training records showed staff had completed training courses to enable them support people appropriately with their nutritional needs. One staff member told us, “I am trained in food hygiene, allergies and intolerances.”

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. Staff shared relevant information and worked with external healthcare professionals to ensure people’s needs were understood and their wishes heard. This helped to ensure people receive the right support in a timely way.

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 were encouraged and supported to make healthier choices to help promote and maintain their health and wellbeing. People were involved in regularly monitoring their health, including health assessments and checks. We observed fluids and snacks were available throughout the day for people.

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 and their relatives were involved in reviews of their care to ensure it continued to meet their needs. One relative said, “We are very much involved in the care.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making specific decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The provider was meeting the requirements of the MCA. Authorisations for people being deprived of their liberty had been approved where appropriate. Where people could not make decisions for themselves, best interest decisions were made in consultation with relatives. Staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of the MCA and seeking consent to care and treatment.