1 Fengates Road

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 relatives were involved in initial and on-going assessments. Records were person centred and reflected what was important to the person.

Prior to living at the service, people were gently introduced and consulted about their preferences in all aspects of their lives, to make them feel welcome and reduce the stress of moving.

Pre-admission assessments we viewed were comprehensive. They contained details of the person, their likes and dislikes, health conditions and all aspects of their lives. Based on this, a plan was devised on how to best support the person. Care plans were developed from the initial assessments and were regularly reviewed and updated as people’s needs changed.

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’s care needs were monitored and reviewed to help ensure they received consistent care and support that met their needs. The local authority carried out reviews of people’s needs at the provider’s request. The registered manager told us, “We have a very good relationship with the GP practice. An associate for the practice calls all the learning disability homes to ask if they need any support from the GP in any areas. The community learning disability team are very supportive too. People go there for mental health crisis support or any other needs such as chiropody.”

People’s health and nutritional needs were assessed, recorded and met. The staff supported people with their choice of meals and encouraged them to cook and prepare drinks and snacks as needed. Throughout our visits, we observed people making their own breakfast, snacks and drinks when they wished to do so. One person told us, “I can eat and drink whatever I want when I want. I am having my favourite breakfast.”

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 told us they enjoyed working at the home, there was a very good culture and supportive teamwork. Their comments included, “Yes, it is a good place to work. I enjoy being supported by my colleagues” and “The home is a good place to work. The staff are friendly and staff morale is good.”

People and relatives told us the staff worked well together and communicated with them well to meet their needs.

The management team told us they liaised with other professionals and agencies to share information and good practice to make continuous improvement to benefit people. The registered manager told us, “We had input from the occupational therapy team to modify someone’s bathroom and put handrails up for other people. One person had speech and language (SALT) out to assess their swallowing. The dentist also visits. The GP and associate have come to do all the health checks and vaccinations.”

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.

Relatives felt their family members’ health needs were met. One relative told us, “They are responsive to [family member’s] particular needs, both emotional and medical.”

People were supported to access a range of health care professionals. Care records contained detailed information about people’s health conditions and how these might affect people. Care records also contained relevant areas of health that needed to be maintained and improved, such as respiratory health, heart and circulation, blood pressure and nutrition. For example, one person living with diabetes was supported to follow a healthy diet, had their weight monitored regularly, was encouraged to not eat late at night and take regular exercise.

Where people had mental health needs, we saw these were clearly recorded in people’s health action plans. One person was being supported to attend regular counselling sessions and was being monitored closely by staff and healthcare professionals. People’s varied health conditions were recorded in their care plans and contained information about how to recognise symptoms and what actions to take should a person become unwell. Staff were requested to read and sign these to evidence they understood.

People were supported to attend relevant healthcare appointments and the outcome of these was recorded in their care plans.

Support plans were in place for individual medical needs. For example, one person had a mental health support plan, to help ensure all the staff knew and understood the person’s needs and how to support them. These were regularly reviewed.

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.

There was evidence of regular reviews and action being taken immediately following any changes to people’s health needs. The service worked closely with healthcare professionals who knew people well and followed their advice to help meet people’s changing needs. A healthcare professional told us, “The staff have good knowledge of the people they support.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People's care was provided in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The staff had received training in the MCA and were able to describe to us how they gave people choice and respected people's decisions within their day-to-day life. One member of staff told us, "We consult people in everything, like what they want to eat and when, and what they want to do on a day-to-day basis. We encourage people to stay independent."

All the people living at the service had capacity to make decisions about their lives and how they wanted to be supported. They told us the staff listened to them and met their needs. One person told us, “They are fantastic here. They listen to you. You can come and talk to any of them anytime.”

The registered manager was working in line with the MCA and understood their role and responsibilities in supporting the legal rights of people using the service.