The outcomes-based approach in health and social services is a practice that places the individual at the centre of their care and supports plans to achieve the best possible outcome. At Nurseline Community Services, reaching positive outcomes through person-centred and crisis management practices is our highest priority. As mental health providers, we commit to implementing human-focused models to provide care that achieves positive outcomes. Learn how our outcomes-focused approach improves an individual’s well-being by giving people a sense of purpose and self-worth.
What Is Defined as an “Outcome”?
The term ‘outcome’ has significant meaning when caring for and supporting people with mental health and complex care needs. Outcomes are positive changes in people’s lives resulting from an activity they’ve been involved in. For example, providing a person with mental health challenges the opportunity to choose their daily routines leads to increased independence and self-confidence.
In health and social care, adopting an outcomes approach means empowering individuals to have greater control over their lives, resulting in increased independence, self-confidence and a stronger sense of identity.
What Is an Outcome-Based Approach?
An outcome-based practice focuses on providing care and support by understanding what really matters to people and developing individual, personal outcomes. These personal outcomes represent individual goals that the person receiving care and their care team can work together to achieve. Personal outcomes revolve around an individual’s mental and physical well-being and recognise that people are the experts of their own lives.
Outcomes can vary from person to person, depending on what matters to the individual. We strive to adapt each care plan to a person’s unique skills, talents and desires to achieve the best possible outcome for the people and their families.
When caring for a person, we ensure that the personal outcomes of the individual are always:
- Driven by the individual’s goals and aspirations, which are unique to the person and their life circumstances
- Realistic and adapted to the individual’s needs
- Achievable, promoting a person’s unique strengths and talents to achieve a sense of purpose and self-reliance
- Intentionally addressing a person’s challenges or concerns
- Evolving and adapting based on the individual’s personal development
The purpose of the outcomes-based approach is to ensure that people with mental health and complex care needs, and their families, are supported to live the best lives possible, living with access to all Human Rights as equal/active members of the community.
Developing Outcome-Based Practice
Our outcome-based practice consists of several steps, each being implemented methodically and intentionally. In every action and interaction, we are focused on putting people first and practising Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) strategies, treating every person with dignity and respect.
With our in-house PBS team, and speech and language therapists, we can design a high-quality outcome-based care plan tailored to an individual’s needs in 24/48 hours. Our approach to outcomes is geared towards enabling the people we support, along with their families, to attain positive outcomes while empowering them to live life to the fullest.
Assessment
The assessment involves getting to know the person and spending time with them to identify their skills, talents, and triggers that might lead to crisis situations. Our team is trained to identify possible triggers early on and create a positive behaviour strategy in alignment with their interests.
During this stage, we create and develop a new PBS plan or adapt an existing one using the most up-to-date strategies. To increase independence and well-being, we aim to provide person-centred and humanised care to people with complex care needs and mental health challenges.
Building Relationships
Meaningful impact and positive outcomes can be achieved only by creating strong human relationships with the people we support. We establish quality communication with our service user, to achieve outcomes that contribute to improved mental and physical well-being.
At Nurseline Community Services, we believe in people’s strengths and skills, and we use strengths-based practice and positive-reinforcement strategies to foster independence and understand each individual on a humanised level. Our outcome-based approach focuses on what people CAN do to transform their own lives.
We treat people as a Family, respecting their dignity, privacy and their choices of what matters the most in their lives. Our care and support are based on the Human Right of being heard, understood and supported.
Setting Outcomes
By identifying outcomes and focusing on what matters most to people, we can promote independence and well-being. Working with people in an outcomes-focused way empowers them to understand and strive to achieve their personal outcome. The aim of the outcomes approach is to ensure that individuals and their families can live the best lives possible by leaning on their own strengths and capabilities.
Our outcome-based practice is based on the following principles:
- People are experts in their own lives
- Their voice is heard when conveying what’s important to them and what they may need help with
- People can have access to the things that matter the most to them
- People’s strengths need to be identified and encouraged to foster meaning and a sense of purpose
- Assessing a person’s aspirations and finding a way to achieve the outcome based on an individually designed tailored plan
- We include the person’s family, friends and the local community in care plans
- Emotional comfort and meaningful conversations are crucial to identifying personal outcomes
Nurseline Community Services is committed to implementing outcome-based practice to improve the well-being of people with mental health needs across the UK. We provide CQC-regulated services in line with all government principles and policies.
Challenges to Outcome-Based Approach
An outcomes-focused approach means focusing on the impact that care and support services have on people’s lives. This is a person-centred approach that supports people to achieve their personal outcomes or goals that matter to them.
However, providing health and social care services includes a complex set of factors that are mutually connected. This also involves certain challenges associated with an outcomes-based approach.
- We provide extensive training to support teams in identifying outcomes as well as constantly adapting the care plans as a person’s needs change
- Outcomes do not happen immediately. The time and duration of achieving a positive outcome depend on the person’s individual needs, and the complexity of the goal
- Individuals may experience behaviours of distress. Our team is extensively trained in managing any challenges that may arise, resulting in a positive outcome
- Our teams put their hearts into their approaches to provide the highest quality care to achieve the best possible outcomes.
- To ensure the well-being of our team, Nurseline Community Services has a special program for clinicians’ care and well-being that promotes consistency of work by preventing professional burnout
Our top priority is to provide comprehensive care while prioritising the safety and well-being of our clinicians and service user. Every aspect of the care process is carefully managed to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.
Benefits of Outcome-Based Approach in Social and Health Care
An approach that prioritises the individual and focuses on outcomes can have a profound impact on the lives of those with complex care and mental health needs. Let’s take a look at some of the key advantages of adopting an outcomes-based practice, such as:
- Improvements in physical well-being and behaviour
- Improvements in mental health and emotional well-being
- Ensuring safety and security
- Supporting people beyond basic needs
- Having a clean and nurturing home environment
- Being active and constantly engaged in different activities
- Access to healthy social connections, including companionship
- Building independence while receiving support
- Having the freedom of choice over daily routines and care plans
- Feeling valued, dignified and respected
- Being treated as an individual
- Physical, emotional, and social needs are met and fulfilled
- Feeling happy, comfortable and active citizen of the community
We have an honest and profound commitment to the people we serve. Their needs and aspirations are our priority when we work towards achieving positive outcomes, empowering them to lead a more stable and independent life. During our work, we have achieved many positive outcomes and helped people navigate their journey towards independence in their homes and communities.
Nurseline Community Services is Applying Outcome-Based Approach in Social and Health Care
People with complex care needs and mental health challenges turn to Nurseline Community Services due to our outcome-based support and fast crisis management solutions. Our expert team of clinicians is extensively trained in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and skilled in managing every situation with a person-centred and humanised approach. With our in-house PBS and speech and language therapists, we provide life-changing solutions to people with mental health challenges and complex care needs.
Our goal is to promote independent living by implementing proactive strategies to meet people’s needs and achieve positive outcomes. For more information, contact us here or visit our Bristol, Birmingham, and Gloucester offices.
