Longcroft

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 received effective care from staff who understood how to meet their needs. The providers’ assessment procedures were thorough and included input and guidance from other professionals, including health staff. People’s communication needs were understood by staff which helped people to be engaged in decisions about their care and support. One person said, ‘They [Staff] know I need a hearing aid and take time to be clear with me.’ Care plans had been regularly reviewed and kept up to date by staff.

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.

Care records showed people had been involved in understanding and meeting their needs. People’s views had been respected. Referrals to other professionals had been made when required and their advice and guidance was included in care plans.

People were supported to maintain good nutrition. The kitchen staff made a broad range of meals which reflected people’s tastes. People said, “The food is good and there is plenty of it.” And “I like the food, you have a choice, you can get what you want.”

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.

People experienced consistent and co-ordinated care and support from the different agencies involved in their lives. Regular multi-disciplinary team meetings and reviews ensured effective communication and team work between partners.

The staff team worked effectively together because there were systems in place which helped keep staff up to date. This included regular staff meeting and 3 daily handover meetings. One staff member said, “We work together, help each other out and support each other to the best of our abilities.”

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 by staff to understand their health and wellbeing needs. Care records included details about people’s health needs and treatment. People were encouraged to have regular routine screening, such as, eye tests, hearing tests, dental check-ups and age-related screening.

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 were supported to monitor their health needs and were involved in monitoring any medical conditions they had. People had the option to have their basic observations such as weight, blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels completed by staff. A recent review by the local authority commissioning team had identified a possible benefit of using clinical tools such as Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) to help monitor weight loss. The provider was considering this advice and looking into training.

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

People were supported to give their consent in relation to their care and support. Care records included consent forms in relation to personal care, medication and support in the community. Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the correct legal authorisations were in place. Some people were subject to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Not everyone had agreed with their DoLS and they had access to legal support if they wanted to challenge these.