Northern Healthcare Head Office

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

When speaking to staff, it was evident good teamwork was taking place. Staff demonstrated respect for one another and shared that they felt supported from managers and head office staff. The service worked in partnership with other professionals, for the benefit of people accessing or leaving the service. Staff also took part in daily safety huddles, were people’s changing needs were discussed. The huddles also included how best to support and promote good lifestyles choices, supporting people to make their own decisions. We found people were supported to appointments on a regular basis. The service also had regular contact with other health professionals, including GP’s and community mental health teams to ensure people received good care and remain as well as possible. The service demonstrated positive outcomes for people supported. 2 people had moved on from a step-down facility within a 12 week timescale. It had been identified by the service that the setting wasn’t always suitable for meeting individual needs. When this was identified, the service worked with relatives to source alternative placements.

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.

We did not look at Assessing needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

The provider worked with other health professionals and social care partners to try and maintain continuity of care for people and maximise good outcomes for them. One person had attended hospital to receive covert medication following an infection, as it wasn’t company policy to administer medication covertly. This had worked well for the person at the time of the infection.

The provider linked in and worked collaboratively with various external health professionals for effective care and support. Open days were held in new services, and prospective people were welcomed to visit with their current health team prior to the transition process starting. One person was moving to a residential placement due to a change in needs. There was partnership working for the benefit of people accessing or leaving the service.

Staff worked well in trying to meet people’s needs, sometimes in difficult circumstances, due to people’s deteriorating mental health. There was positive feedback for a new step-down programme being piloted at Holland House. Two people had moved into universal housing within the 12 week timescale. The commissioner told us, “[Staff at] Holland House have worked not only to help secure the accommodation but also to ensure the right basics have been secured to ensure the person's move is safe and supportive.”

Health action plans were completed, and a copy taken by people to health appointments; a review sheet was available for completion by for example, the GP, nurse or dentist. Any outcomes were also recorded in care plans, daily notes, and communicated to staff via handovers and meetings.

People had access to GPs and dentists for routine appointments, and also attended appointments with other medical professionals, such as hospital consultants, to help treat any identified health conditions.

The provider was able to demonstrate how people were supported to live healthier lives, assisted by staff who encouraged this. The senior staff team included people with clinical expertise that other staff could draw upon when needed. Health action plans were in an easy read format with visual prompts so that people could better understand them and participate in their review. Health action plans included past medical history, details of current medication and other details about the person relevant for health and medical professionals, for example communication, diet, sleep, behaviour and details of any mental health diagnosis. Examples were provided of people receiving wider support who had made conscious choices to lead healthier lives; they had started to participate in forms of exercise and had joined local keep fit groups.

Feedback we received from partners was positive. The provider strived to ensure both those in receipt of a regulated activity and those not were encouraged and supported to live healthier lives. Health professionals and mental health colleagues were contacted for advice and guidance when necessary. One health professional we spoke with told us staff had responded quickly to an infection and said, “The whole team are very good.” They commented that the service had also worked closely with the GP and the dietician to ensure a person at risk of losing weight received a fortified diet and staff encouraged them to eat it.

People were supported to have healthier lives. People were able to manage their own needs to ensure they remained healthy, for example administering their own medication if it was assessed as safe to do so. Care plans, risk assessments and health action plans outlined people’s health needs and any specific support that might be required from staff, for example accompanying people to appointments. Reviews were in place to ensure people were involved in their care if this was their choice, and that support plans remained valid.

Good outcomes achieved by people were shared and celebrated across the service. Not everyone was in receipt of a regulated activity, however it was indicative of the wider support and assistance given to people. We saw examples of feedback from people thanking staff for helping them to achieve their goals.

Staff described the ways they helped people, for example with care and support, in sourcing accommodation, accessing community groups, dealing with finances and gaining voluntary employment. People’s changing needs were discussed in daily huddles and management sourced training on how best staff could support and promote good lifestyle choices with people able to make their own decisions. Success stories were shared with people’s consent at governance meetings or with relevant stakeholders.

The provider valued feedback from people, relatives, professionals and staff, and used this to help identify and shape improvements to the service. Feedback forms, compliments and a complaints processes were all available for people and other stakeholders to complete. Any concerns could also be raised more informally if people preferred, for example in resident meetings.

We did not look at Consent to care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.