Chalkhill 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 inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection, the rating has changed to 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. A relative said, “A lot of time was given to [name] and attention to the care planning before moving to Chalkhill Road with his complex needs. Chalkhill Road provided a very good service in terms of making him feel safe.” Staff told us they assessed people’s needs which helped to identify their support needs and any areas of risk. The registered manager said, “We will undertake a comprehensive assessment before people move in to ensure we are able to meet their needs. New prospective people can visit the home before and can decide if they want to move in. If they chose, they don’t want to move in we will accept their decision.”

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 received care and support from staff according to their individual assessed needs and wishes. For example, staff could recognise signs when people experienced emotional distress and knew how to support them to keep them safe. We observed staff supporting people with compassion when they were distressed. Staff were aware of what triggered an emotional response from people and tried to minimise these triggers as much as possible. The service ensured people remained in contact with people who were important to them and facilitated visits. People had access to nutritious food which reflected their preferences. People had access to meals via an external provider. People chose their meals independently and staff supported them to heat the meals. There were also opportunities for people to cook their own meals with staff support. A relative said, “The staff put the breakfast out for residents to help themselves to cereal and toast, which my relative is happy with. The rest of the meals lunch and dinner are bought in for the residents which my relative appears to be happy with.” A person said, “Food is plentiful, sometimes there is too much food.”

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 told us staff supported them to stay in contact with any relevant external health and social care professionals. Managers told us they worked closely with various external health and social care bodies and professionals and welcomed their views. An external health care professional told us, “Staff are very good they listen to what I have to say and follow my advice.”

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 using the service told us they had access to relevant health care professionals as required such as GP services or the hospital. A relative said, “The home will support my relative with attending any healthcare appointments for example GP’s and hospital at the moment.” The registered manager spoke very positive of the relationship the service had with their local GP. The registered manager said, “The GP is brilliant, they will always help people if we need them.” We saw evidence of collaborative working with healthcare professionals, such as forensic community team to ensure peoples mental health needs were well managed.

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 quality and safety of the service people received was routinely monitored by managers and staff at both a provider and service level by conducting regular audits and checks and obtaining stakeholder feedback. The service ensured that people’s health care needs were met, and external support was sought if required.

People told us they consented to the care and support they received from staff at the service. A person said, “It’s cool living here, staff are supportive, they listen, they are very helpful.” All people who used the service at Chalkhill Road had capacity to make their own decisions. Staff spoken with told us that they accepted the decisions which people made. A staff member said, “Sometimes people may not make the right decision. This is no problem, and we will meet with people and discuss these with them and find solutions.”