South East London

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.

This is the first inspection of this service. This key question has been rated 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, and their relatives where appropriate, were involved in assessing their own or their loved ones needs, and in developing and agreeing their care plans and risk assessments. People’s assessments included information about their personal histories, interests and hobbies, religion and culture, along with information about their health, wellbeing, care and communication needs. People had been involved in regular reviews of their care and support and had consented to any changes to these.

The service engaged regularly with other professionals involved in people’s care and support and used their feedback to inform changes to people’s assessments.

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 plans included person-centred guidance for staff on delivering the best care possible in line with their individual needs and preferences.

People’s care plans were outcomes based and included information about maintaining and developing people’s independence and skills as much as possible. For example, guidance on supporting people to access local community activities was provided for staff. The plans also described how people were supported to eat and drink healthily and in accordance with their medical and cultural needs and preferences. Staff supported some people to prepare and shop for their own food and drink. People’s daily care notes showed staff regularly recorded and monitored their food and fluid intake.

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.

Information provided by other professionals was included in people’s care plans for staff to follow, for example in relation to dietary and medical needs. People were asked for their consent to share information where appropriate.

The provider met regularly with local authority commissioning and relevant health services to review people’s progress in relation to their assessments and care plans. A person received additional support from care staff not provided by the service. Their records showed staff had engaged with these other care staff to ensure continuity of care.

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 to mobilise as much as possible with the assistance of staff. People at risk of malnutrition or dehydration were prompted and encouraged to eat and drink. Where people required this, they were supported to engage in community and cultural activities of their choice.

The service recognised that maintaining mental wellbeing was important for people. Where possible, people were matched with staff with similar interests and hobbies, or from similar cultural backgrounds so they had things in common to chat about. Staff celebrated people’s birthdays and important festivals with them. The provider ensured staff were made aware of cultural festivals and what they mean for people through their monthly staff newsletter.

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’s care plans focused on maintaining and developing their independence as much as possible. Some people’s care plans showed that, where appropriate, staff were supporting people to regain self-care skills and participate in community-based activities. Staff monitored people for any physical or behavioural changes which might indicate a health condition or loss of skills or cognition.

The registered manager stressed the importance of working together with people and other professionals to achieve improved outcomes.

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

People understood their rights around consent. Their care plans included information and guidance for staff on how to support people to make informed choices about their care and support. Staff described how they offered choices and sought consent from people when providing care and support.

The service had carried out capacity assessments with people. These followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated guidance. At the time of our inspection all people using the service were assessed as having capacity to make decisions. The capacity assessments were revisited at each care review.

Staff had received training in capacity and consent, The service’s policies and procedures reflected current best practice in relation to capacity and consent.