Dean Road Extra Care Scheme

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

This is the first inspection of this newly registered service and therefore we assessed all 6 quality statements from this key question. Based on the findings of this assessment, our rating for this key question is good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this. The provider worked in close partnership with external health and social care professionals and bodies to plan and deliver people's packages of care. People’s needs were assessed before they began to use their service, and their healthcare needs continued to be met.

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 told us staff knew how to support them with known risks and that they were involved in planning the care they received.

Staff told us they assessed people’s needs which helped to identify their support needs and any areas of risk. The registered manager told us they had a very good relationship with the commissioning team and the housing provider. They said new enquiries for care usually come via the local commissioners and includes an assessment of care needs/care plan. A panel meeting was held to decide on the eligibility of referrals and the offering of places.

Care plans contained details of referrals and also any a care needs summary of people. This helped the provider to assess people’s needs and decide if they were eligible for a vacancy.

People told us staff provided them with all the care and support they needed. A person said, “Staff know exactly what I need, and they meet my needs in the way I ask them to do things.”

Staff worked together to deliver and meet people’s needs and wishes in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Staff told us they followed guidance in care plans when supporting people. This included providing the appropriate level of support in line with guidance in relation to nutrition and moving and handling. A member of staff told us, “The care plans are spot on. They’re easy to follow and contain enough detailed information so we know exactly how to meet people’s specific needs safely in a way the customer would prefer their personal care to be delivered.”

Care records contained information from evidence-based guidance and good practice which helped the provider to support people appropriately. This included assessing needs in relation to continence, falls, medicines and nutrition.

People told us staff supported them to stay in contact with all the relevant external health and social care professionals and attend scheduled appointments with these community professionals. We saw one person had a whiteboard in their flat which staff used as an aide memoir to help remind this individual when they had an appointment with external health care professionals. This person told us staff were good at keeping his health care appointments board up to date and that it really helped them remember when they needed to attend them.

Managers and staff told us they worked closely with various external health and social care bodies and professionals and welcomed their views, advice, and best practice ideas.

Health and social care partners were unanimous in highlighting the excellent work the provider was doing and the relationship between them. Comments included, “I have found Care Outlook very responsive in providing the necessary information and at times proactive in raising and addressing issues”, “Care Outlook can demonstrate not just working in partnership with the local authority but with other professionals including Richmond Housing Partnership and District nurses. This demonstrates not only a commitment in delivering care but the continued partnership working with the local authority” and “The standard of care provided to the customers at Dean Road is high.”

Care records included details of health and social care professionals that were involved in people’s care. Contact details of relevant organisation were also on display in the office for staff to refer to if needed.

People using the service told us they had access to relevant health care professionals as required such as GP services. A person said, “I'm responsible for making my own GP appointments, but staff will help me if I ask for it.”

Staff received training in how to meet and appropriately manage people’s health care needs and conditions. In addition, staff received emergency first aid training as part of their induction which was routinely refreshed.

There were appropriate, well-established processes in place to ensure people's health care needs were met. For example, there was evidence of regular reviews from the GP and other healthcare professionals.

It was clear from feedback we received from people who used the service that managers and staff recognised the importance of learning lessons and continuous improvement to ensure they maintained high-quality, person-centred and safe care for people.

It was clear from feedback we received from managers and staff they recognised the importance of learning lessons and continuous improvement to ensure they maintained high-quality, person-centred and safe care for people they supported at this extra care scheme. 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. For example, managers and care staff met daily to discuss any changes to people’s needs and the packages of care they received and conduct walk-about tours of the premises to observe staffs working practices.

The quality and the service people received was routinely monitored by managers and staff through a range of different methods. This included care plan reviews, audits and obtaining feedback. The outcome of all the audits, monitoring checks and feedback the providers received from stakeholders were routinely analysed to identify issues, learn lessons and develop action plans to improve the service they provided people.

People told us they consented to the care and support they received from staff at the service.

Managers and staff confirmed they had received Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) training and were aware of their duties and responsibilities in relation to the MCA and DoLS. Staff told us peoples care plans made it clear what decisions people could make for themselves.

There were systems and practices to ensure that people understood the care and treatment being offered or recommended, this helped them make informed decisions. For example, capacity assessments were carried out to establish whether people could manage their own medicines. People had agreed to their care plans and signed to indicate this. They were involved in reviewing the risk assessments and care plans.