Laurel Court

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 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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Systems and processes were in place to ensure people’s needs were assessed prior to admission into Laurel Court. Care plans were person-centred and reflected people’s health, wellbeing, communication needs and personal preferences. Staff communicated effectively with people, clearly understanding and responding appropriately to their individual communication needs and preferences. A staff member told us, “[Person] needs to be spoken to in a different way when we explain things. We slow our speech down if required.”

Regular reviews took place with relevant professionals, and referrals were made appropriately to ensure people’s needs continued to be met.

People’s wellbeing was a priority, and staff strived to enhance people’s quality of life.

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 had good access to health and care services and were supported to attend appointments, for example dental or GP.

People’s nutritional needs and preferences were met, and they were supported by staff to make their own meals in their apartments. People were enabled to choose which food they preferred and were offered guidance from staff around specific dietary requirements, for example food with reduced sugar for people with Diabetes.

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 registered manager told us the service has a strong relationship with local authority staff, GP’s and community-based teams who have regular interactions with people.

Staff told us there was excellent communication between their staff team and from management, and important information was shared during shift handovers.

One staff member explained the process following people’s health appointments. This involved gaining consent from the person to share the information, adding it to the persons records, and sharing with staff via email to ensure safe and effective care delivery.

The provider always supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to fully 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 to attend external appointments, such as hospital appointments, and relevant information was appropriately documented in records to support care delivery.

People were encouraged to engage with healthier eating habits, which included growing their own vegetables on site, and using these to prepare healthy meals in the communal kitchen. Staff assisted people with their shopping and had discussions around food choices and how these impacted on their health and well-being.

Staff told us about weekly ‘chit chat’ evenings where different topics were chosen to discuss. One person learnt about cancer at college and asked if they could lead a discussion about certain cancers, to promote health understanding and disease prevention. This enabled people to have 2-way conversations about topics they would not normally engage in, and which increased awareness and education.

People were strongly encouraged to engage with physical activities, such as exercise sessions in the communal lounge, swimming and walking. One staff member told us about a person who enjoyed football and wanted to play. Staff arranged for them to join a local team which they attended on a weekly basis.

Positive relationships between staff and people meant support was provided in a meaningful way in line with people’s choice and preferences.

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.

Staff knew people well and were aware of changes in their presentation which could indicate a deterioration in their health or wellbeing. Any concerns were promptly escalated and shared verbally or during handovers to ensure safe continuity of care.

Care records and risk assessments were reviewed regularly, which enabled staff to identify any concerns promptly. This ensured timely referrals could be made to external professionals when required.

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

The service was working within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and best interest processes were followed where people lacked capacity to make decisions.

People were supported to understand their own care needs and how to consent to support if they wished. Staff understood people’s capacity to make decisions about their care and how this can fluctuate and always sought people’s consent before providing support.

People’s capacity to make decisions was assessed, and records of these assessments were retained within their care files; however, we identified some had not been reviewed recently. We raised this with the registered manager who provided assurance that this would be addressed promptly.