Hayes

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 newly registered 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 assessed people’s needs and choices to plan personalised care and support. People and their relatives told us they were involved in these assessments. Their comments included, “They have talked to me about the care I wanted”, “I have been involved in assessments, and they do everything I have asked” and “They gave me choices about the care, and they respect these.”

The registered manager told us they met with people who expressed an interest in using the service and their relatives. They said, “I discuss their needs and what they want. I go through our policies and let them know what we can offer. I identify care workers who can match their personalities and understand their needs. I continue to complete the assessment by shadowing calls and with regular face to face meetings.”

The assessments and support plans were regularly reviewed and updated. There was clear guidance for staff about how to meet people’s needs.

The provider ensured people received evidence-based care and treatment. People using the service and their relatives told us the staff were well trained. The registered manager was a qualified trainer and provided face to face training and guidance for staff. They were also a nurse and supported nursing and care staff to understand how to provide a range of care interventions to meet people’s needs. Staff had undertaken training to understand how to care for people with a learning disability. One member of staff told us, “This was insightful training, and I have learnt so much.” Other comments from staff about their training included, “I feel very well prepared for my work” and “I have training before I meet different service users to understand their needs.” In addition to formal training, staff took part in learning discussions with the registered manager and each other to share their experiences and knowledge about different aspects of the service. The registered manager explained, “We ask staff to discuss different scenarios and to put themselves in people’s shoes.”

The provider had a range of guidance and information. This included guides for staff, people and relatives about different aspects of care and best practice guidance.

The staff worked well as a team and with external professionals. The provider had systems to help staff communicate with each other and share ideas. They held monthly team meetings and encouraged staff to discuss their work with each other. The staff told us they used messages, written communication and verbal handovers to discuss people’s needs and important information. One staff member told us, “The best thing about working here is the good teamwork and having a supportive manager.” The registered manager worked alongside staff providing support and observing their work to help ensure a consistent approach to care.

The registered manager worked closely with healthcare teams and other professionals who supported people. There was evidence of clear and appropriate communication with others to help make sure people’s needs were met. For example, when the provider supported 1 person with a new activity, they consulted with occupational therapists to make sure the person’s mobility and safety needs had been fully assessed. An external professional told us, “[The agency] has always been very professional and always reaches out if [staff] have any queries or concerns.”

The provider supported people to stay healthy and well. The registered manager had assessed and recorded information about people’s healthcare needs. They had created care plans which outlined how people should be supported. They had also created fact sheets about each healthcare condition for staff reference and to support people and their relatives to understand these conditions. People using the service and their relatives told us staff monitored their health and wellbeing. Staff accompanied some people to healthcare appointments and liaised directly with professionals to find out information about people’s needs. The registered manager told us they consulted with people, their relatives and professionals to gather feedback about healthcare appointments when they had not attended these. They then used this information to update people’s care plans and guidance for staff.

The provider monitored people’s wellbeing and outcomes. The staff kept logs to describe the care they had given and how people were feeling. The registered manager audited these to make sure care was given as planned. Staff reported any concerns about people’s health or needs to the registered manager and discussed these with the person and/or their representatives. The provider developed guidance for staff on specific areas of people’s care. These included guides on helping to keep people’s skin healthy and providing support with oral care. The registered manager regularly met with people using the service and their relatives to discuss and review their care and to make changes to care plans when needed.

The provider ensured that people consented to their care and treatment. They carried out assessments of people’s mental capacity with the person and their representatives. People were asked to consent to their care plans and assessments. People also confirmed staff asked them to consent when providing care and told us staff respected their choices. For people who lacked mental capacity, the provider had made decisions in their best interests by consulting with their representatives and others who knew them well. This process had been recorded.