Sylvan Home Care Services - Bromborough Branch

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 remained requires improvement. This meant the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent. 

This service scored 58 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Although people’s assessments were detailed, assessing and planning peoples care did not match what was being recorded. For example, we did not see any meaningful discussion around times and length of calls with people they supported. This had an impact on the service provided as throughout this report. Staff said they were given the time to read through people’s care plans which meant they could become familiar with their individual needs, preferences and daily routines. However, due to a high number of short or cancelled calls as highlighted the provider cannot be assured staff read peoples care plans. People and their loved ones confirmed management visited them regularly and reviewed their care and made any appropriate changes when required. One person said, “Managers came round with a couple of information packs and explained what to expect. Very thorough. Three months reviews I think” and “As and when [Names] needs it reviewing. Did it a few weeks ago.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. However, due to the concerns highlighted around effective call planning and monitoring the provider cannot be assured they did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Care and support statutory guidance states short home-care visits of 15 minutes or less are not appropriate for people who need support with intimate care needs, though such visits may be appropriate for checking someone has returned home safely from visiting a day centre, or whether medication has been taken (but not the administration of medicine) or where they are requested as a matter of personal choice. We found no evidence any discussion had been held with service user or their loved ones to state short calls was a personal choice.

People told us that the management visited them regularly and if they needed to be reassessed by external healthcare professionals they would act in a timely and professional manner to make changes that were tailored to their care and support. One person told us, “The NHS (after a hospital discharge) recommended Sylvan Home Care Services. They came to the house and discussed our needs. We have a folder with care plan and contact numbers in it.”

Staff worked together to ensure people received good care. Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and they could speak up and share their feedback. Comments included, “If you need help with anything the management have been really good and if I need time off for anything personal, they have been really understanding” and “Support is good from managers and other staff, I think we all work well together.” Staff told us they work with other agencies and stakeholders to meet people’s outcomes. One loved one told us, “Mum had a fall and when the Carers arrived, they rang 999 and dealt with everything. They stayed with her and contacted me.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and their preferences. One person told us, “[Name] is diabetic and prone to water infections. Carers have noticed he is not well and contacted the GP or district Nurses for advice.”

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. There were systems in place to ensure people’s needs were identified, assessed and monitored. This ensured people received the correct support needed. Staff confirmed they were aware of people’s needs and were confident they provided care in line with this. One relative told us, “They respect her choices, just there to assist her to remain independent.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People, and their relatives where appropriate, understood their rights around consent and had signed to confirm consent to their care plans. The service had carried out capacity assessments with people were appropriate. These followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated guidance. The manager told us people’s capacity assessments were looked at each care review.