Ellis 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. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 received effective care and treatment by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Relatives told us they felt involved in the care planning process. One relative said, “I was involved with the care plan, it is reviewed every 6 months.”

Staff told us people’s needs were assessed regularly. One staff member described involving external professionals when assessing a person’s needs and explained how this improved the care and support provided. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and risks. Another staff member told us, “As part of our induction we are given a binder with all the people’s care reviews and support plans. These are also available on our hand-held devices to reference as needed. We can review recorded notes from previous days on the handheld devices. When we are off for consecutive shifts, we are given a handover of any needs or behaviours we need to know.”

Care plans and risk assessments were in place and reviewed regularly to make sure they reflected people’s changing needs.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care with them, focusing on what mattered most to each person. Care and support followed current legislation and evidence‑based good practice.

Relatives told us staff supported people well with their diet. One relative said, “I think they do really well with my family member regarding food. [Person] now eats food they would never have eaten at home.” Another relative told us, “They are flexible with my family member’s food. [Person] has a special diet as they can’t eat certain foods. They have a separate cupboard for all their food to make sure there is no cross‑contamination.”

People were supported to make their own choices about how they wanted to spend their day and what activities or meals they wanted. We saw people being asked what they wanted to eat and if they wanted to help in the kitchen. Others chose to go out for meals, and 1 person decided to have a picnic in the woods even though it was a very cold day. Staff respected this choice and supported their decision.

When people became distressed or anxious, staff responded quickly and used redirection, distraction and patience to support them in a calm and sensitive way.

Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) plans were in place for each person. These included a range of de‑escalation techniques staff could use to support the people. Staff told us these techniques were reviewed often to make sure they continued to work well.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people.

Relatives told us the provider made timely referrals to health professionals when needed. One relative explained how the provider referred their family member to an occupational therapist after reviewing their needs.

Staff told us they worked in partnership with professionals such as doctors, disability nurses and social workers to ensure people received the right support.

Visiting professionals also spoke positively about partnership working. One professional told us, “Management are always responsive to both communications and feedback, always happy to implement changes to care as needed to make improvements to resident outcomes. Staff are proactive and support people with any required changes in a way that suits each person.”

Records confirmed the provider worked collaboratively with health and social care professionals to improve outcomes for people.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing, helping them maximise independence, choice and control. Staff encouraged people to live healthier lives in ways which suited each person.

Relatives told us staff supported people to attend regular health checks, including visits to doctors and opticians. This helped ensure people received timely healthcare. One relative told us their family member had recently attended a health appointment and completed a procedure they had previously refused. They explained that this was something the family had tried to achieve for many years without success, describing it as a major step forward for the person and attributing this progress to the hard work of the staff.

Staff also described how they encouraged healthy lifestyles. One staff member told us they supported people to grow their own vegetables as a way to promote healthy eating and raise awareness about diet. Another staff member said, “As staff we need to encourage healthier options but respect people’s choice. We monitor people’s weights for any significant changes.”

Records confirmed staff monitored people’s health and encouraged them to take part in a range of physical activities to support their wellbeing.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to improve outcomes. They checked people were receiving consistent, effective support which met clinical expectations and what people wanted for themselves.

Relatives told us people were supervised safely and their health needs were monitored. One relative explained they had been working with the home to discuss their family member’s weight and ways to help reduce recent weight gain.

Staff told us how they monitored specific health conditions safely, including epilepsy. They described how they recorded and responded to seizures in line with each person’s risk assessment. Another staff member told us, “We monitor people's weights weekly. This makes it easier for us to act on if someone puts on weight or loses weight. We can then contact the GP and potentially get dietician referrals.”

A visiting professional gave positive feedback regarding how staff supported health monitoring. They said, “Staff have always worked collaboratively with our service, supporting us to complete de‑sensitisation with people to support access to health appointments.” De‑sensitisation is used to help people who may experience anxiety about attending health appointments, enabling them to gradually build confidence and reduce distress when accessing services such as dentists and doctors.

Care documentation showed people’s health needs were reviewed regularly, with referrals made to relevant professionals when needed.

The provider informed people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person‑centred care.

Relatives told us staff knew people well and respected their decisions. One relative said, “Staff will listen to my family member’s wants and needs. Staff know them well. [Person] is repetitive about where they like to go for activities, but it’s what they like.”

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). A staff member told us about supporting people who lacked capacity for decisions such as managing finances or going into the community alone. They said, “It’s still important to offer choices such as picking clothes. We try to work in the least restrictive way. Choice is important to make sure people are in control.” Another staff member said, “The Mental Capacity Act is important because it ensures decisions are made in people’s best interests and allows planning for the future.”

We observed staff promoting choice and respecting people’s decisions throughout the site visits.

Where people lacked capacity to make specific decisions, the provider recorded best‑interest decisions and documented these clearly in care plans.