Weavers 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 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.

Senior staff completed pre-admission assessments and ensured people, and their relatives were involved prior to admission to the home. Assessments considered each person’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs. This information formed a care plan to ensure people received the care they needed in a personalised way. One relative gave us an example of how allergies were considered when their relative’s needs were assessed. “It all went smoothly, my Mum can’t eat berries, they [staff] make sure she doesn’t have any.”

Staff understood people’s individual needs and how these should be met. Staff told us this information helped them provide good care to people moving into the home.

Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated. Changes were communicated through staff handover and meetings and recorded on their electronic care records.

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 chose what they wanted to eat and drink and were encouraged to be involved in planning meals. All staff were aware of people’s dietary needs and the support given to people was reflective of their cultural and diverse preferences. One relative told us how when considering meal choices, “The chef went above and beyond.” Staff supported people by working at people’s pace in line with their care plan, such as when assisting people to eat and drink. There were plenty of drinks offered to people throughout the day. Mealtimes were sociable and encouraged people to eat and drink well. Internationally recognised assessment tools, such as the international dysphagia diet standardisation initiative, (IDDSI), were used to assess people’s needs in relation to eating and drinking. Meals were prepared in accordance with people’s preferences and safety needs, including where people required food or fluids to be served at a specific consistency.

Staff gave us examples showing how they incorporated best practice and national guidelines when planning and providing care. For example, in relation to diabetes, by taking practical steps to support people’s dietary needs. In addition, staff told us, following specific dementia training they had followed best practice when considering changes to individual people’s environments. These examples helped to promote people’s health and wellbeing.

Systems were in place to monitor people’s support needs and to make referrals to other health and social care professionals, for example, speech and language therapist, (SALT), if staff had any concerns people were not having enough to eat or drink.

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 were supported to attend external healthcare appointments. Staff discussed any planned joint working arrangements with relatives, to ensure people had appropriate support in place. One relative told us, “When [staff] have had to phone doctor, they call me to tell me if there is something wrong.”

A health and social care professional who regularly visited the home to support people told us the staff worked well with them, made referrals at appropriate times and acted on any recommendations. The health and social care professional said, “[There are] no concerns, I’m happy with staff. [They] are very supportive and attentive if anything is needed.”

There were clear systems to support timely and effective information sharing between staff, external professionals and families. The home worked collaboratively with health professionals including GPs, district nurses and chiropodists.

Staff were positive about the processes which were in place to ensure information was shared effectively across staff teams. These included regular meetings at the start and end of each shift and staff meetings.

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 engage in gentle exercises to develop and maintain their physical health. Staff gave us examples showing they knew people very well and described how they were alert to any changes in people’s wellbeing and health. If staff had any concerns they sought appropriate professional advice in a timely manner. This included through a weekly GP round to monitor people’s health and wellbeing. Staff and a health professional gave us an example showing how they had varied the weekly round to ensure a person’s health needs were promptly met. One staff member explained how they worked with a person who lived with diabetes to reduce the likelihood of them experiencing ill health. They did this through discussions about healthy food options, whilst understanding the person’s right to make their own decisions.

Systems were in place to ensure people were supported by a wide range of health and social care professionals. Staff had developed close working relationships with external health and social care providers. This helped to ensure people were supported to obtain prompt help from other organisations.

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’s health was regularly monitored by staff which helped to ensure people received the care they wanted to maintain their physical health and wellbeing. Relatives reported people had experienced positive outcomes since moving to the service. One relative explained their family member was less anxious since moving to the home. The relative said, “[Person’s name] is more responsive with [staffs’] approach, they get what they need with the least amount of upset.” Other relatives gave us examples of how their family member’s physical health had improved, including their mobility.

Relatives were positive with the way their family member’s health was monitored and the outcomes they achieved. One relative told us the “Timeliness of healthcare [here] care is fantastic.”

Staff spoke enthusiastically about supporting people to achieve good outcomes and how a person had been supported to walk again, by staff encouraging them to build their confidence and strength. A staff member told us, “By the time the physio [physiotherapist] came they were fully mobile, within 2-3 weeks.”

Staff understood how they were expected to monitor people’s individual health and wellbeing needs. This included regularly reviewing people’s weights, to help to confirm people were having enough to eat and to help to identify any underlying health conditions people may be experiencing. Staff also monitored people’s fluid and nutritional intake, blood sugar levels, and undertook bowel monitoring checks, if required to support people’s health outcomes. Staff used the results of these checks when advocating for people, for example, to ensure people had prompt access to services they wanted.

Staff gave us examples showing how they assisted people to achieve good outcomes. This included where they identified gaps in local services. They did this through effective team work at the home and by advocating with local services. This helped to ensure people received the services they wanted at the point they were required. Staff gave us examples showing this had enhanced people’s overall wellbeing. Staff also worked with other health and social care professionals, such as district nurses, so people would receive the care they wanted to maintain their health.

Health professionals told us they could rely on staff checking people’s changing health needs, and to promptly seek and follow their advice. This helped to ensure people achieved good outcomes including people experiencing less hospital admissions.

Records showed us changes in people’s needs were identified and appropriate action was taken to support them. Processes in place helped to ensure people’s needs were regularly monitored with input from their family members and other health and social care professionals.

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

People’s consent was gained by staff before they provided care to people. For example, staff listened to people’s decisions and choices and supported them as they wished. Relatives told us staff knocked their family member’s doors before entering their rooms to seek their consent.

Where people could not make their own specific decisions, relatives confirmed they were consulted and their views obtained when deprivation of liberty safeguards were applied for. A relative told us, “[Staff] update me with everything, they always ask if they want to do something.”

Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and supported least restrictive practices. Relatives told us they were aware Mental Capacity Act assessments were in place. Staff told us following recent additional training they planned to develop the breadth of Mental Capacity assessments further.