The Firs Residential Care Home

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 service scored 79 (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 always made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The provider had a robust pre-admission assessment process in place. This included gathering detailed information from a range of relevant health professionals, ensuring a holistic understanding of each person’s needs before admission. This approach ensured staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs safely and effectively.

The provider went over and above in taking their time to get to know not only people coming into the service but also their families to ensure they provided the best support to the person. Assessments were completed over several meetings with relatives, if required, to ensure all important information was gathered before a person moved into the care home. Staff took time to find out key information including names of important people and pets to help people with dementia settle into their new environment. One relative told us their family member had recently moved into the care home, they said, “The details in the care plan were great, and captured [person] totally.” Another family member told us, “The staff were very good at communicating with [relative] and really knew how to approach someone with dementia.”

Care plans included personalised examples to guide staff in their approach and communication with people. This helped ensure care remained consistent, effective, and tailored to each person’s individual needs and preferences. Health professionals told us the assessment process was thorough and well managed. They said this ensured the provider only accepted people whose needs could be met at the care home. For example, 1 healthcare professional told us, “Prospective residents are actively reviewed for suitability, prior to admission, ensuring that the right care needs are met from the outset. This I feel has made significant difference to managing care needs effectively.”

People’s needs were continually assessed by staff after admission. This included regular scheduled reviews, as well as reassessments when people’s needs changed. People were involved in these reviews, with family members included where appropriate, helping to ensure care remained personalised and responsive.

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.

The manager ensured relevant best practice guidance was available and regularly discussed with staff. This included guidance on supporting people with positional changes to promote skin health, and best practice with diabetes management and support.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the people they supported, including their individual dietary needs and who required assistance at mealtimes. Where people needed modified food or fluid consistencies, staff followed guidance provided by healthcare professionals. One relative told us their family members skin had improved due to the nutrition and hydration support staff provided since they moved into the care home.

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.

Staff worked well with visiting healthcare professionals, including GPs and district nurses. One healthcare professional told us, “The [staff] team effectively communicate with [medical practice], escalating concerns about [people] when necessary. There is evidence of appropriate referrals to the wider multi-disciplinary team when required for comprehensive care.”

The provider showed evidence of actively reviewing how they worked with health professionals to strengthen collaborative practice and improve outcomes for people. Feedback from professionals was valued and used to develop and refine how services were delivered. For example, 1 healthcare professional told us, “The [staff] team are open to change and have actively sought feedback from myself on more than one occasion. I suggested a protocol for the management of weight loss. This was well received by [the manager] and was promptly created and put in place.”

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 were knowledgeable about people’s individual needs and care requirements. For example, they knew who required additional encouragement with hydration and approached this in a sensitive and personalised way. People and their relatives told us they were supported to access healthcare services, such as GPs and chiropody services, and referrals were made to dental services when needed.

Staff promoted healthy choices while respecting people’s rights to make their own decisions, where possible. A snack station had been introduced, which people were able to access independently or with staff support. We observed people using this and they told us they were pleased with the choices available. Drinks were also readily available, with people able to help themselves or receive support from staff as needed. People told us the food choices available at the care home were good and met their needs.

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 live healthier lives through personalised care and effective monitoring of their health needs. The manager had implemented and maintained an effective system to monitor people’s weight and their response to interventions. This included measures such as food and drink fortification, as well as timely referrals to healthcare professionals where required.

The provider used this information to regularly review people’s outcomes and identify any changes in their health. This supported early intervention and helped ensure care remained responsive and effective.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Where people had the capacity to make their own decisions, for example about their personal information or having their photograph taken, this was captured appropriately in their records.

People’s rights were respected, and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework for making decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. It requires that people are supported to make their own decisions wherever possible. Where people lack capacity to make specific decisions, these must be made in their best interests and in the least restrictive way.

The management team produced clear and detailed best interest decision assessments. They approached the best interest and capacity assessment process in a highly personalised way. These assessments had been reviewed by local authority teams, who gave positive feedback on the quality and process.