Yarrow Housing Limited - 1-2 Elmfield Way

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 good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

Staff completed functional assessments for people who needed them and took the time to understand people’s behaviours. People had care and support plans that were personalised, holistic, strengths-based and reflected their needs and aspirations, included physical and mental health needs. People, those important to them and staff reviewed plans regularly together. People were supported to understand the care and support that was being offered to them. Where possible, people personally confirmed their consent to receive care and support, and this was recorded in their care plans. If people using the service lacked mental capacity to give their consent, this was obtained and recorded by others who were appointed and authorised to make decisions on their behalf.

We did not assess all the quality statements within this key question, as we did not identify concerns relating to those areas which we judged as being met at our last inspection.

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.

Only one person was able to tell us about how their needs were assessed. This person said that staff supported them well, when they needed it, and this gave them confidence when doing activities they had chosen. They added that staff understood them, and they understood staff. People’s relatives confirmed that they were actively involved in their loved ones’ assessments and reviews.

Staff and the management team told us that the people living in the home and their relatives were involved when needs assessments were completed and reviews were carried out. They explained that the needs assessments formed the basis of people’s care plans and covered all aspects of their mental and physical health, wellbeing and social care requirements. Staff confirmed that people’s needs were regularly monitored and reviewed and updated as soon as any changes were identified.

The provider had effective systems and process in place to ensure people’s needs were fully assessed. We saw the management team followed an assessment process, which evaluated people’s needs to make sure they could be met by the service. Referrals were sent by placing authorities, but the management team also carried out their own assessments to ensure the information in the referrals was accurate. People’s assessments formed the basis of their care plans, which we saw were regularly reviewed and up to date.

One person said staff discussed their care with them and they had access to their records. They knew precisely where their information was and handed their records to the inspector during our visit. Another person’s relative told us that staff knew their loved one and their individual needs very well. This person also confirmed that their loved one was supported to eat and drink well. They said, “[Name] gets breakfast, lunch and evening meal every day. They [staff] cook it all on site in the nice kitchen. The menu is pretty good and [name] has put on a little weight since when they were younger.”

Staff and the management team said they provided people with evidence-based care and support to meet their health, nutrition and hydration needs. This was confirmed by information we saw the care and support records we looked at. Staff also told us the provider encouraged them to learn about and investigate new and innovative approaches that could improve the way people were supported and their care was delivered.

The provider had effective systems and processes in place to help ensure staff were kept up to date with national legislation, evidence-based good practice, new innovations, and required standards. Staff completed specific training to be able to effectively understand and support people with a learning disability and autistic people.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

People’s relatives told us their loved ones were supported to make healthier choices and maintain their health and wellbeing. They said their health was regularly monitored and staff supported people to attend health and medical appointments whenever needed. One person’s relative told us, “[Name] does exercises every day.”

Staff and the management team told us they understood people’s needs and preferences very well and tried to empower people as much as possible to manage their own health, care and wellbeing needs.

Staff also told us they advised people about healthy options, particularly regarding food. We saw that meals on the menus were a proportionate balance between what people enjoyed, as well as eating healthily.

The provider had effective systems and processes for helping people to live healthier lives. For example, people’s care plans had a specific section for nutrition and diet. Full nutritional assessments were carried out with people and regularly updated. There was also information regarding the type of support people required at mealtimes. We saw that people’s weights were checked regularly and, if needed or advised by the GP, food and fluid charts would be put in place.

We did not look at Monitoring and improving outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

People living in the home did not directly comment regarding giving consent to care and treatment. However, we observed people being offered choices and making decisions about being supported with personal care, as well as for activities and eating and drinking. This assured us that people had a positive experience in this area.

Staff and the management team told us that people were always consulted and their views and wishes taken into account before care and support was carried out. People and their representatives were given information about care, support and/or treatment in ways that were most appropriate for each person’s individual communication method. This helped ensure people could make informed choices and decisions.

The provider had effective systems and processes in place to ensure that people living in the home and their representatives understood the care and support that was being offered to them. Where possible, people would personally confirm their consent to receive care and support, and this would be recorded in their care plans. Where people living in the home lacked the mental capacity to give their consent, this was obtained and recorded by others who were appointed and authorised to make decisions on their behalf.