Ryefield 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

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.

The service was previously registered under a different legal entity. This is the first assessment for service since it was registered with this provider. 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. They consulted with the person and their relatives to help develop personalised care plans. People using the service and their relatives confirmed this with 1 relative commenting, “I was involved with developing the care plan and I am happy with that side of things.” The provider reviewed care plans and assessments regularly and these were updated when people’s needs changed. The staff worked closely with other professionals including a team of healthcare professionals who supported them with guidance to meet people’s different needs.

The provider delivered evidence-based care and treatment. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of best practice and how to support people with different needs. They had undertaken a wide range of training, including training about people’s conditions and health needs. Comments from staff included, “I have access to very good training, and I feel able to deal with any situation” and “I work with people who have dementia; their mood and needs change frequently and we have had training to help ensure we can support them as best as we can.”

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met. These were assessed and individual needs were catered for. The catering team had a good understanding about providing different diets, including texture modified food and high calorie diets. The catering team regularly met with people to discuss menus and find out what people wanted. In addition to the main meals, people were able to have snacks and drinks whenever they wanted. There was a bistro area where people could order drinks and food whilst socialising throughout the day. People were given a choice at mealtimes and told us they liked the food. Their comments included, “The food is really nice”, “There is a choice even if you are picky, they do something for you. You can always get a drink and there is a free bar. We can have a glass of wine with lunch if we want”, “I have no grumbles with the food. We have an excellent chef”, “If you are hungry, you can ask for more” and “My family can join me for meals.”

The staff worked well with each other and external professionals. The provider had effective systems to ensure good communication. These included regular meetings between the heads of departments to discuss the service and identify any areas of concern, handovers of information between staff and general staff meetings. Staff told us they felt well informed and were able to discuss their work with the management team.

An external care home support team included a care home matron who contacted the staff each day to discuss any clinical concerns and healthcare needs. They supported the staff to make referrals to other professionals and monitored signs of weight loss, decline in health or concerns related to choking. The provider organised for a private physiotherapist to visit people to carry out an initial assessment of needs. An external professional told us, “Ryefield Court always has a friendly atmosphere, every member of staff is approachable and they work well together.”

The provider assessed, monitored and met people’s healthcare needs. Staff worked closely with other professionals to make sure care plans were appropriate. Staff undertook training to better understand about the different healthcare needs people had. They demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of these. Information from healthcare professionals had been incorporated into care plans. We saw that their advice had been followed. Care records showed that people’s health had improved at the service. For example, improved skin condition, healing wounds and improvements in weight. People were supported to stay active and eat well.

People using the service told us they were happy with the support they received with their health. Their comments included, “A nurse visits, and a doctor and I can speak with them. The chiropodist visits every couple of months, and this is part of the care package”, “If I need to see a doctor this is organised and staff accompany me to appointments”, “My relative is accompanied by a carer and driver to appointments. This is a relief for us knowing this is taken care of.”

The provider monitored people’s health, wellbeing and outcomes. The electronic care planning system helped staff to record care interventions. The system alerted staff if care tasks were missed or if people had not had enough to eat and drink. The management team and staff had regular meetings to discuss people’s needs, any illnesses, falls, hospital admissions, accidents or incidents. They planned how to address these and alerted other professionals when needed. An external professional commented, “The staff are responsive, quick to advocate for their residents and I have every confidence that if a resident is deteriorating they will bring it to my attention in a timely manner. They know their residents so well, it always amazes me that they know all their residents’ medical histories, medications and family dynamics.”

Staff regularly reviewed care plans with people and their relatives. These were updated when people’s needs changed. When people identified a specific goal, wish or need, staff supported them to meet this need.

People consented to their care and treatment. Staff assessed people’s mental capacity to make different decisions. Information was presented in a format to support people to make informed choices. When people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions, the provider met with their representatives to help make decisions in people’s best interests. People confirmed they were given choices and staff asked for their consent. We observed this and saw staff respecting people’s decisions.