Heathside Retirement 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 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.

All prospective residents had a face-to-face assessment to ensure people’s needs could be met. Families were involved in the assessment, and both were invited to multidisciplinary meetings and 6 monthly reviews with the GP. The registered manager held monthly meetings to review care plans, and all care plans had a full reassessment every 6 months.

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.

The home used the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) for identifying people at risk of malnutrition. The nutritional champion had monthly meetings with the registered manager to review any weight variations and reviewed all MUST scores ensuring peoples nutritional needs were being met.

We observed the lunch time experience and sampled the food. People received the support they needed, and staff were both kind and attentive. The food was nice, healthy and nutritional. People ate well and finished their plates. Alternatives were offered if people did not like what was on offer.

People were happy with the food. They told us, ‘The food is brilliant. Home cooked and they make anything you want. If you want to change it the chef listens, and you get the meal you like’ and ‘The food is lovely. I get a different choice to eat every day. I get plenty of drinks. The doctor said I have to drink plenty of fluids and the staff make sure that I do.’

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Communication within the home and with external professionals was effective.

Staff told us the care plans were clear and provided the required guidance to provide good care. They told us support from the managers was good and the communication was effective.

We received positive feedback from 4 health and social care professionals. They told us, ‘The registered manager is very knowledgeable and very keen to train staff…They demonstrate good understanding of each patients need and their opinion on residents is very valuable to me when assessing the need for a visit or a medical intervention…the referrals are done straight away if it is needed…We have great feedback from families regarding the care their loved ones have received. I have no concerns regarding this home.’

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 and their families were consulted regularly about their care and had regular access to the GP through weekly visits to the home. Interventions by staff helped to improve people’s outcomes. For example, the nutrition champion worked closely with the registered manager and external professionals to reduce the use of oral nutritional supplements. Improved menus with more fresh produce and fibre had reduced the need for supplements and had also reduced the use of laxatives and diabetes medication.

A visiting professional told us, ‘They follow instructions. They are proactive. I have no concerns. The residents like the staff. They are very good at ringing when they need to. They triage and have the experience to do it. They don’t call with unnecessary calls. The information they provide is always appropriate. There is always a senior around to help us when we visit. We aren’t’ just left with the resident. They always write down the advice. No dignity issues.’

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.

The Registered manager met with staff monthly to review progress in key areas of people’s care.

A weekly GP ward round ensured people’s needs were responded to quickly.

Staff were trained to record and monitor baseline physical observations such a pulse, oxygen levels or heart rates. This enabled staff to escalate any concerns or changes at an early stage, if people were at risk of a deterioration in their physical condition.

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

People were asked for consent before care was provided. They told us, ‘The staff do ask for my consent before giving care. [Staff] don’t do anything without asking me first’ and ‘They ask for consent before giving care and are kind and compassionate.’

Staff knew people well and focused on the least restrictive option and took all practicable steps to support people to make their own decisions. People were asked for their consent before care was provided and best interest decisions were in place where people were unable to consent. The senior team had a very good understanding of what was required and the systems in place, including care plans, were very clear.