Connections Care Ltd

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. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this. Assessments considered people’s health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs, to enable them to receive person centred care and support that had the best possible outcomes. The service worked with other health and social care professionals to support people and provide consistency in care. Staff told us they felt supported in their role. They told us they felt comfortable seeking support from management and there was good teamwork. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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 were involved in the assessment of their needs, and support was provided where needed to maximise their involvement. People were confident that their individual needs had been appropriately assessed and were fully understood by the service.

Assessments considered the person’s health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs, to enable them to receive care or treatment that had the best possible outcomes. How staff needed to support people in these areas was documented in their care plan.

Assessments were up-to-date and regularly reviewed to support staff to understand people’s current needs.

People told us they were supported by staff who knew them well. Comments included, “Yes, we have the same carers, so we know we are safe as we know them, and they know us” and “We have had the same carers for about 2 years. We need the same carers to know how to support her. The carers are very, very good.”

The service involved people in planning their care and support. People’s care plans included assessments using best practice tools. For example, people’s mobility and nutritional needs were assessed and plans put in best to meet their identified support.

Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated with any changes to care.

The service involved people in planning their care and support. People told us they were supported by staff who knew them well.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan and deliver people’s care and support. One staff member told us, “I look at care plans to know what care people need. Risk assessments are in place, and I also liaise with family.”

Feedback from other professionals who worked alongside the service was positive. One professional commented, “Staff are always contactable and available to speak to. When there has been Safeguarding referrals, the response has always been professional, and they do not first jump to assign blame but recognise that there could be learning opportunities.”

Information was shared between teams and services to ensure continuity of care, for example, we saw evidence of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy input in people’s care plans.

People were supported by staff to manage their health and wellbeing and maintain their independence where possible. Comments included, “Me and Connections planned my care. They update what care I’ve had on their phones. They always ask and explain things, everything just falls into place.”

There was evidence in care plans of involvement from other health professionals where required, such as occupational therapists, whose guidance staff told us they followed.

People were involved in regularly reviewing their care and health and wellbeing needs where appropriate and necessary.

The service involved people in planning their care and support. People told us they were supported by staff who knew them well.

There were effective approaches to monitor and review people’s care and support and their outcomes. Care plans were regularly reviewed with people and their relatives to ensure any changes to care were made as needed.

This meant that continuous improvements were made to people’s care and support where required.

People told us they were involved in planning their care and support and were able to share their preferences for how they wished to receive care. Comments included, “Yes, we have a care plan. They constantly talk to him when washing him and always ask for his consent.”

Staff we spoke with said they always sought consent before providing care. They said people were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions about their care.

There were procedures in place to ensure the provider was working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This included the completion of mental capacity assessments where people couldn’t consent to care and best interest meetings.