Lucerne House

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

People were encouraged to make their own decisions and choices about their day-to-day life. We observed people being offered choices in all aspects of their daily lives, what time they got up and what they done each day. People were supported by staff who were kind and compassionate. They promoted an inclusive, supportive environment where people’s independence was promoted.

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 Kindness, compassion and dignity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

One person told us they enjoyed going out each day. They told us how they liked to travel and what they liked to do when they were out. They said they were happy. Another person told us, “I get on with all staff, there’s not one I don’t get on with.” Relatives of people living at Lucerne House generally spoke well of the service. One said, “[Name] is living a good life, stress free.” Relatives of people living at the Supported Living service spoke of concerns they had around a number of changes at the services and how this had impacted on people. They said the changes at the Supported Living services, which included more emphasis on promoting people’s individual independence may be impacting on their loved ones. For example, each person being responsible for shopping for, preparing and cooking their own meals. Relatives told us they were concerned that the level of support people required to do this was not always provided in a way that met their loved one’s specific needs.

The management team and staff told us how they worked to help ensure people remained independent and were able to gain new skills. Staff told us that the new ways of working in the supported living services was helping to promote people’s independence. They told us about the changes to the medicines system which had also been changed to promote independence. Staff told us that in general people were enjoying these changes.

This section relates to Lucerne House and not the ‘Supported Living’ settings. We saw people were sitting together in the lounge with staff present. Staff were chatting with people, asking them what they would like to do and supporting them to make their own decisions by offering choices. People were in kitchen with staff, they were working and preparing food independently but chatting together. When people were not engaging in any activity then staff supported them to find something to do, for example, watching a film of the persons choice. Equally, after a busy morning out, some people were dozing in their chairs after lunch and staff asked them if they would like to have a rest on their beds. Throughout the day people were supported to spend the day as they wished. People were cheerful, happy and smiley. They engaged with staff and asked for support when they needed it. If people appeared distressed staff intervened promptly to reassure and help diffuse any distress or worries.

Care plans contained some information about how staff should promote people’s independence. For example, describing what aspects of personal care people were able to do for themselves and where they needed support. There was information about what people liked to do and how to support them. For example, one person liked to push the trolley when shopping for food. However, some improvements were needed to some care plans to ensure they demonstrated where people needed support to maintain and improve their independence. People were not always present when their care plan was reviewed. The management team told us this was being addressed through the key worker system where reviews took place each month with people. This still needed to be fully embedded across the services.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

The management team told us they were aware there had been concerns amongst the staff team in relation to well-being but changes had been made and this had improved. Staff told us that the new management were approachable, friendly, they were considerate of their wellbeing and personal needs and took into account their preferences. Staff were asked about their well-being in their supervisions. They told us they felt supported by the management team and their colleagues. One staff member told us, “The majority of changes are positive. Now I can see what has been wrong and what is now being done and we’re seeking the right advice.” Another staff member said, “Like any reshuffle it can take a while to get better but it’s looking better, it’s looking good.” A further staff member told us, “It was a mess, now with the new management all is good. We didn't have rules but we now follow rules and everything is much better.” Another staff member told us that since the changes, “I am now looking forward to the next shift.” Staff told us they had regular supervision and were able to discuss any issues with the management team and feel supported.

There had been changes to the structure of the way staff worked. This included a management structure where staff regularly worked at the same service. There was a defined management team so that staff knew who their line manager was, who to contact in case of concerns and how to escalate any issues. There was a supervision process and a regular supervision process was being implemented. Staff we spoke with told us they received regular supervision. There were regular staff meetings where staff were supported to contribute and feel listened to. The management team had oversight of the staff team. They were able to identify where staff required further support and this was provided.