St Saviours Road

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.

People had lived at the home a long time. When their needs changed, a full assessment was carried out to ensure staff could continue to meet them. Assessments had been carried out in relation to people's health, social, sexual, spiritual and emotional needs. If people’s needs changed and staff did not have the skills to meet these, training would be provided to ensure people could remain living in their home. Staff worked closely with people’s relatives. A relative told us, “If there are any changes, they let us know.”

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 were in good health and rarely needed professional support but there were good systems in place to ensure that if advice and guidance was needed this was sought. A relative told us their son was in good health. They said, “He always has [been healthy] and if he wasn’t, the surgery is just at the bottom of the road.”

People’s care records stated their nutritional needs, dietary requirements, likes, dislikes and any allergies. Training records showed staff had completed training courses to enable them support people appropriately with their nutritional needs.

The provider worked well across teams and homes 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 homes.

People’s relatives told us they were kept informed about any events or changes in their family member’s health and felt confident staff sought professional input whenever it was needed.

Staff gave us examples of how they worked effectively with the local college to ensure people were offered appropriate courses and to make sure they received appropriate support whilst there. Professional feedback included, “Communication with the home has always been good, and staff are approachable and responsive when needed.”

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.

Staff supported people to attend all health appointments as needed. They knew the things that gave people confidence to take part in conversations with professionals. Regular appointments were arranged for people to attend dental, opticians and chiropody as needed.

People were encouraged to make healthy choices. The home worked hard to ensure that people made informed decisions about the way they lived their lives and the importance of staying as healthy as possible. One person used to drink caffeine to excess. Due to the impact this had on their health and with the person’s agreement, they reduced the number of caffeine drinks they consumed each day. A wide variety of non-caffeine drinks were available to them.

People enjoyed walking and went for walks most days to keep active and healthy. One person also enjoyed regular trips to the gym. We observed during the house meeting that people were encouraged to choose healthy food options.

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 knew people well and monitored them daily to identify changes in their health and well-being. Where appropriate, people’s weight was checked to identify if there was any unexpected weight loss or gain. Each person had an annual health review and as part of this process a check was made to ensure people had access to any other health provision as needed. Staff checked with people during house meetings and keyworker meetings to make sure people were well. Staff told us that people were able to say if they were unwell and a person’s relative echoed this.

The manager told us that one person was anxious about having their blood pressure taken. They followed a desensitisation programme and gradually introduced daily blood pressure checking, initially with staff the person felt more confident with, and then all staff. They said the person was now happy to have it done whenever it was needed.

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

There was advice and guidance within care plans about how people made choices. During our visits we observed staff asking permission before providing care. Capacity assessments were completed when needed and staff had received training and acted in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. When people lacked the capacity to make decisions staff had followed the principles of the mental capacity act to ensure decisions were made with those closest to them, were the least restrictive and, in their best interest.

Staff explained things to people in ways they understood, so they could make informed decisions about what they were consenting to. People were able to say if they wanted to participate in an activity or not and staff told us that sometimes people changed their mind and opted for different activities or different food choices. We observed a person going into the kitchen and telling a staff member that they did not want potatoes, they wanted waffles instead. This change to the menu was respected.