The Berrys Carehome

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 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 when they started living at the service. Care records captured people’s current needs, risks and preferences which were reviewed regularly.

Systems had been improved since our last assessment to ensure people were assessed as suitable and the service could meet their needs. Care plans were now electronic and assisted the management team to assess risk, update care plans easily and record and monitor people’s needs. Staff had access to clear and detailed information in order to provide person centred care.

People were involved in assessments and their views about their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs had been discussed. We saw some evidence that families, advocates and professionals were involved to varying degrees in people’s care arrangements where appropriate.

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 settled living at The Berrys and staff had created ways in which to work with people positively ensuring they had opportunities to live their lives to the full.

Staff supported and encouraged people to eat a healthy and balanced diet. People were involved in going shopping with staff and preparing meals, drinks and snacks. People learnt new skills by cooking different meals.

People’s weight was regularly monitored. One person had developed their own fitness routine and staff supported them to engage in their chosen sports activities.

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.

The staff team worked effectively with health and social care professionals to ensure people received joined up care to meet their needs. Guidance on the actions staff should take when there were changes in people's emotional or physical needs were in place.

Staff work collaboratively to understand and meet people's needs. This included daily handovers, staff meetings, and supervisions to ensure staff had up to date information about people’s needs.

Staff worked together with professionals to ensure people received the support they needed, when they needed it. Feedback from a professionals in the annual survey said, “Communication within the team and from external professionals is excellent ensuring that care is well co-ordinated and responsive.”

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. Staff were able to tell us how they supported people to make choices and decisions which maintained their independence and self-worth.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing in discussion with them. People were supported to attend medical and other appointments such as access to opticians, dentists and the GP. Staff reported back any actions needed.

People were supported to understand and make choices about their diet, lifestyle and physical activity. These were recorded in the daily notes and care plans to monitor how people’s health was being maintained.

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.

Improvements to the monitoring and recording of outcomes for people had been made since our last assessment. There was now a robust care planning system in place, which included people in discussions about their care and support, regular reviews and outcomes recorded. People were fully engaged in planning their life ahead to ensure it was a life they chose or needed.

The provider gave us examples of where people had achieved goals through co-production, encouragement and support of staff. A person showed us a certificate of achievement they had received, and they were very proud about it.

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

The provider had effective systems in place to ensure that people’s capacity was assessed and recorded as mental capacity assessments were completed correctly and up to date. Where people could consent to their plan of care, their signature had been obtained.

The provider demonstrated they respected and considered people’s rights when assessing their individual needs, capacity and ability to make every day or significant decisions.

Some people had representatives such as the Court of Protection (COP) which looked after their best interests in relation to their finances and welfare. The provider liaised with the COP regarding finance and welfare decisions. Family members were aware of these arrangements.

Staff had received Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) training and understood the principles of applying the MCA in their day-to-day work. Staff supported and encouraged people to make day to day decisions such as what to wear, eat, drink, meeting their personal care needs and how they would like to spend their time. A staff member told us, “In practice, I give people information in a way they can understand, give them time to make decisions and support them to communicate their choices. I do not assume someone lacks capacity simply because they have a disability or need support. I also understand the importance of using the least restrictive option and following best-interest processes when required.”