South Cary House

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 and their relatives were involved in care planning and reviews. One person told us, “I’m registered blind, I listen to the TV and audio books. I need support as I’m getting a bit doddery walking so I need help there.” One relative told us, “They [managers] phoned me up the other day to see if there’s anything that needs changing, the care they’re giving her is just what we want, we can’t ask for more.”

The manager had oversight of people’s needs and carried out daily walkarounds. They told us, “I have implemented spot checks, to observe care.” Staff spoke confidently about people’s needs. One staff member told us, “I always tell the office when someone is not looking their usual self.” Staff completed daily records and shared updates during handovers. This meant people’s needs were continuously monitored so changes could be addressed promptly.

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.

Clinical tools were used, for example to assess the risk of skin breakdown and weight loss. These tools were used to improve people’s care.

People had access to a balanced diet and spoke positively about mealtime experiences. One person told us, “It’s nice to mix with people at lunch” and another said, “The food is very good, I like the vegetable casserole, cheese and eggs.” People at risk of weight loss had their weight regularly monitored, and 1 person had their food and fluid intake monitored. The manager recently implemented a snack basket. We observed lunch to be a pleasant experience. People were offered choices. Some people preferred to eat in their rooms. This helped to maintain people’s health and wellbeing.

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 by a consistent team of staff. Agency use was kept to a minimum, as managers prioritised use of their own staff to fill in shortages. This ensured that people were supported by staff that knew them.

Staff worked effectively with external professionals to ensure people received the support they needed. Staff at all levels collaborated to provide effective care to people. One staff member told us, “The residents are always great wherever you work, the staff and manager make a massive difference, there’s a family feel and everyone chips in, we’re all just together.” Staff had access to care plans and communicated effectively through daily handovers.

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 encouraged to lead active lifestyles. One person enjoyed walking around the home. People could participate in seated yoga, they told us, “It's a gentle exercise, I enjoy it.”

The manager had oversight of people’s care needs. The manager told us, “I carry out a daily walkaround and interact with people.” People had access to regular medical appointments. One person was supported with managing regular hospital appointments to oversee their health condition. People’s care plans contained information about their health 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.

Staff worked with people to improve outcomes. The manager shared examples of improvements in people’s weight, independence and general well-being. One relative told us, “When she first went in 2.5 years ago, we thought she was on her death bed, she couldn’t live on her own, South Cary agreed to take her in, it’s the best thing we ever did. They’ve [staff] looked after her so well, she’s a different person now.” This meant people experienced care that improved their quality of life.

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

There was consistent application of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) which provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. We observed staff seeking consent from people, offering them choices and respecting their decisions. Managers completed MCA assessments and Best Interest (BI) decisions, involving people and their relatives. People who did not have suitable representatives had access to advocacy. Some of the MCA assessments needed to contain more information about how a decision has been reached, and 1 was blank. However, managers immediately began to review these assessments.

Staff told us how they seek consent and engage with people. One staff member told us, “I have previously asked another care assistant to help me when someone was declining support, fresh face, fresh voice and it worked."