Blossom Home Care Leeds & Wakefield

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 for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. The registered manager maximised the effectiveness of people’s care and treatment by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. Assessments were undertaken with people and their families were appropriate. Care records clearly detailed people’s needs. Staff planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what is important and matters to them. This was in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing in ways which maximised their independence, choice and control. The staff routinely checked people were satisfied with the service and whether any needs had changed. The registered manager ensured people experienced positive outcomes from the support the service offered. Staff worked with local healthcare professionals and sought advice when required. Staff worked as a team to ensure people’s support needs were met. Staff made people aware of their rights around consent and respected these when they delivered person-centred care and treatment. Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice. Staff had received mandatory and condition specific training. Staff supervision sessions were in the process of being completed in line with the provider's policy.

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 they were involved in their assessment and how their care was to be delivered. They felt the assessment was thorough and captured their needs. One person told us, I contacted them from looking online and they came to the house and did a full risk assessment and asked lots of questions about me and what I was looking for from them.”

Staff told us that there were effective systems in place to assess and monitor people's needs. The manager told us “Myself and the deputy go out together for safety and to obtain all relevant information and we'll chat and put the care plan and risk assessments in place with people.”

The care records clearly detailed people’s needs and as the service got to know people, more person centred information was immediately updated. This helped staff recognise any deterioration in health so they could contact people's relatives and health and social care professionals.

People told us they were involved in all aspects of the design of the care package and how it was delivered. They felt the assessment was thorough and captured their needs. One relation told us, " We regularly discuss mum’s care together.” Assessments were always via face-to-face meetings.

Staff told us that there were effective systems in place to assess and monitor people's needs. The use of the provider's app meant that staff were immediately able to share something with colleagues so people had the most up to date information about the person. One staff member told us, "If something has changed, the manager always calls and notifies us."

Assessments were produced, which were regularly updated, and these fully captured people's needs. The staff used assessments as the basis for developing the detailed risk assessments and care plans. People’s records included information about any need to use the Mental Capacity Act such as whether people lacked capacity to make decisions, contact details for GPs and immediate family members, and information about healthcare conditions. This helped staff recognise any deterioration in health so they could contact people's relatives and health and social care professionals.

People and their relatives told us that staff were competent, caring and treated them in a dignified manner. They told us that staff recognised if there was a change in their health and, when needed, contacted relevant healthcare professionals.

Staff confirmed they had formed good working relationships with all the people involved in the care of the people who used the service.

We reached out to partner agencies for feedback as part of this assessment but we did not receive any responses.

The registered manager had developed systems to ensure staff understood and recognised when people might need the support from external healthcare professionals. The recording app used by the provider to complete daily notes and store the care plan and risk assessment enabled real time feedback by the person using the service or their relative. This meant that any issues could be escalated quickly and shared with other professionals as well as the staff team.

People we spoke with told us the service would assist them to access healthcare if it was needed. One relative said, “There was a risk assessment carried out at the beginning of their service and I remember the manager being more transparent than most.”

Staff liaised with external health and social care professionals to ensure people received consistent care and support. Staff told us they felt confident to support people with managing healthcare needs. The manager said she spent time talking with people's GP and had made referrals to services such as dieticians saying, "We always ring the GP to inform them about falls."

People's healthcare needs were met. Care records clearly detailed people’s health needs and how staff were to support them. They also set out how to encourage people to maintain their well-being and independence.

People told us the care they received was good and they were happy with the service provided. People reported they found the staff listened to their views and generally care packages were flexible and person-centred. Some relatives raised an issue with regard to driver availability and we fed this back to the management team for action.

The registered manager and staff told us they closely monitored the service to ensure people experienced good outcomes. The app used to record the care plan and daily notes for people also enabled people and relatives who had access, to give immediate feedback on the visit received.

The registered manager regularly reviewed the systems and processes in the service to determine if improvements could be made. Action plans were used to identify and monitor where changes were required and how these could improve the service. They used all feedback to assist them improve the quality of care.

People we spoke with told us their views and rights were upheld.

Staff told us that they empowered people to make their own decisions about their care and support. One staff member said, " When caring or supporting someone l always have to ask for their consent before providing care. Even if l feel they can't make decisions, l always have to assume they have capacity and ask for consent.”

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice and felt confident applying this in their practice. The provider had policies and procedures in place relating to mental capacity and areas such as lasting power of attorney and Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate notices.