Weatherstones Court

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

People had their needs assessed prior to and during the time they started to use the service. All people had received support from the service for some time. Assessments were translated into support plans which were devised and reviewed with the full involvement of people and their families. People were involved in all aspects of their nutrition, such as meal planning and shopping although some support was required in preparing meals. People were encouraged to pursue healthy diets. The nutritional and hydration needs of people were closely monitored to ensure positive health. People and their families were involved in their care. Events that had adversely affected people such as falls, and medication omissions had partially been recognised but no effective action was taken to prevent re-occurrence and the same people experienced further accidents and incidents. Staff teams worked well together and demonstrated knowledge and a commitment to providing support to adults living with autism . People were actively consulted in all aspects of their support with consent gained at all time

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.

People had been supported by the service for some time. Ongoing assessments of people's needs and preferences were in place. While people did not comment specifically on their overall quality of life, it was clear from their reactions that they were able to undertake a variety of meaningful activities, were able to make decisions about their lives and recognise that their accommodation could be furnished and decorated to their preferences. Families felt involved in care planning and information sharing. They told us, "The management and care staff communications with our family is excellent at keeping us up to date through regular updates/reviews and the family days that have been held which allow us to communicate together with the staff. The Staff maintain good close contact with us and social services should any issues or problems arise be it in health/safety or just general concerns".

Given the role of support plans outlining an accurate account of support required in people's everyday life, staff were knowledgeable about the needs of each person and were able to access care plans. They were able to describe the needs of people to us in detail which was accurate and was verified by our examination of support plans.

Assessments of needs was achieved through the regular review of care plans and meeting with people, their families and other stakeholders.

People did not comment on this.

Staff described how they worked with multi-disciplinary teams and other professionals to ensure professional guidance was followed and reflected within care plans.

Processes such as risk assessments and care plans were informed by evidence-based care and treatment. Care practice was reflective of and centred on the needs of people living with autism/learning disabilities. The provider demonstrated that good practice was based on up to date evidence and research. Some people had developed health conditions. These again were managed with evidence-based practice used and referred to.

Relatives commented on the staff team. They told us staff and "[Name's] assigned carers all show great care", "The management and care staffs communications with our family is excellent", " I am really pleased with their excellent dedication to the quality of care" and "The management at Weatherstones Court is particularly strong at the moment , acting on behalf of the residents to solve problems as they arise , and keeping relatives informed".

Staff felt supported by the management team and felt that they worked together well as a team

Partners told us, "The service is well led, and the manager and the team of managers are very responsive to recommendations.", "The people who are supported are happy and well cared for and a consistent person-centred approach is offered", "Whenever I have asked for further help it has been provided . Communication has been good, and I have been able to get what I need done in a straightforward way" and "staff are really positive and responsive to changes we are suggesting within the support being delivered"

Processes were in place to ensure the accurate recording and sharing of information of people's care needs. Peoples care plans included details of other services and professionals who were involved in a person’s support. Changes to people’s care needs were communicated to staff via the electronic care planning system and verbally.

People indicated that they were well but did not go into details about the health support they received. Family members confirmed people were supported to access other health services such as doctors and other professionals when needed. They told us new health conditions that had developed had been recognised and were managed. Families were clear that the health needs of people were promoted by the staff team.

Staff described the support needed and provided for people to live healthier lives. Examples included supporting people with meal plans, shopping, and food preparation. They recognised that access to the community following preferred activities were beneficial to their mental health.

Support plans highlighted health issues and how these were to be met in partnership with people and their families. In turn these plans were a reviewed regularly. Records of health appointments and interventions were in place and up to date. People were encouraged to develop their range of activities that would promote their physical and mental health.

Relatives told us without exception that the service was committed to supporting people to achieve positive outcomes for their loved ones in all aspects of their lives.

We saw several positive outcomes for people. Staff detailed how people had progressed from them first coming to the service for support and despite initial reservations, where able to access a range of opportunities and influence their own lives with staff support. They had also developed relationships outside of the service.

The provider monitored people’s support to continuously enhance and improve it. They ensured outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people themselves.

People did not comment on this.

Staff demonstrated how they took consent into account. We saw examples of people being asked for consent to visits from us as part of our assessment process. Staff were witnessed asking people for consent to support. Where restrictions were in place, these were appropriately assessed and reviewed.

Staff described the process for consent to support and were able to give examples as to how they supported people to make decisions.

Communication needs were in place reflecting the preferred method of communication of people. These were reviewed regularly. Included in this were strategies on how to successfully provide and receive information from people. A process was in place to enable consent to be gained from people to enable us to visit their homes . The outcome of this process was that people were willing to allow us to visit and supporting documentation to confirm this consent was provided.

Records to demonstrate the service was aware of people’s capacity to consent to care were robust. People’s capacity to make decisions had been recognised in conjunction with the MCA (Mental Capacity Assessments) Code of Practice 2005, and appropriate best interest meetings generated.