Northfield 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.

People’s needs were assessed and records were detailed and reflected important past events and what was important to and for the person. Records were reviewed staff told us their input was valued. A staff member said, “The management are listening to staff. For example, if we notice a change or if a service user likes things that are different to what's in their support plan we write it in [electronic records system] and the changes are made.”

Not everyone using the service used words to communicate. Care records included detailed descriptions of how people communicated; including where they used any communication systems. They also gave information about individuals unique communications, including what people’s gestures and facial expressions may mean.
 

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 nutrition and hydration needs were met. People were involved in menu planning and shopping for food.
 

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 told us there was a very good culture and supportive teamwork. A staff member said, “The atmosphere between staff is good we all tend to get on well” and “The team work so well together. There's been so many improvements.”
 

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 supported to access a range of health care professionals. Staff worked closely with health care professionals to ensure responsive, timely and effective support. This included speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, learning disability specialists and community team. Care records included detailed information about people’s health conditions and how these might affect them. They also guided staff on what they may need to do. A health care professional we spoke with said, “There have been definite improvements. [Person] has come on leaps and bounds. It’s all down to how they support [person].”
 

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.

Staff shared a commitment to continuous improvement and also a pride in supporting people to achieve good outcomes. They told us about improvements and achievements people had experienced. These included one person who when they started to live at the home spoke very few words. The person was now able to communicate using sentences. One staff member said, “It's so rewarding. We have reached so many milestones with people.”
 

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

The provider was meeting the requirements of the MCA. Records included assessments of people’s capacity, and best interest decisions where required. People’s consent was always sought. Where people did not use words to communicate, records indicated how people may express their wishes in facial expressions, gestures or using communication systems, such as picture cards. People and their representatives were involved in decisions about their care and support and people’s choices were respected.