Elstow Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

At our last inspection we identified a breach in relation to people not receiving person centred care. At this assessment improvements had been made and the service is no longer in breach of regulations. People received person centred care from a staff team who knew them well as individuals. People, relatives and staff were supported to feed back about the service and people were supported to communicate in ways that made sense to them. The staff and management team had a focus on supporting people to achieve their outcomes and be a part of their local community. People were supported to put plans in place for the future.

This service scored 43 (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 supported in person centred way in line with their individual needs. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] know me very well. They help me not to get upset and understand where I cant change how some things are.’’ A relative said, ‘‘[Staff] know [family member] so well. They know them better than me. [Family member] is very comfortable at the service and I know they are the happiest they can be.’’ We observed staff speaking and treating people in line with their individual support needs. For example, staff knew how to support one person to communicate and make choices even though this was something the person found more difficult to do. Staff supported one person to feel better when they were upset and it was clear staff knew this persons support needs well. One person was supported to follow their chosen religious beliefs and their care plan contained very specific details about how staff were to support them with this. The management team ensured people’s care plans were very person centred and focused on people’s preferences in all areas of their support. The deputy manager and staff team had also produced care plans for use by people which contained pictures and easy read information. These evidenced how well supported people had been and people were delighted to sit and show us their care plans.

People had continuity when it came to the staff team who supported them. One person said, ‘‘I know all the staff well. No new faces.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘A lot of the staff team have worked at the service for a long time and know [family member] better than we do.’’ There have been some new staff starting recently but I know the staff who have been there a while are helping them settle in and get to know people.’’ The staff and management team helped ensure people were cared for with continuity, for example by creating care plans for hospital staff that contained essential information about how to support people. Any changes to people’s care and support needs were shared with staff, relatives and professionals to help ensure continuity of care.

Staff supported people to communicate and understand information in ways that made sense to them. People were supported to communicate using verbal speech, signs, pictures or objects directly. We observed staff signing to one person asking them if they wanted to leave the service and go out in the community and the person understood this. Another person was supported to choose their preferred sensory activity when staff physically showed them these and understood the visual cues the person used to make their choice. Staff were trained in using various forms of communication such as signing. The management team supported staff to speak about what communication methods worked well for people so this could be recorded and shared with staff. The deputy manager and staff team had made accessible versions of people’s care plans with pictures and photos which people could use to understand their care. For example, the ‘mobility’ section of one care plan had a picture of a persons mobility equipment in it. People were happy and excited to show us these. Policies and procedures such as complaints and safeguarding were also available to people in an accessible format.

People had been supported to feed back about their support in ways that made sense to them. The manager told us they had tried to have group meetings with people but they found this more difficult than one to one conversations with staff. Staff had these conversations on a one to one basis instead and people’s feedback was collated. This resulted in positive outcomes for people. For example, trips out in the community had been organised based on feedback from people. Relatives were able to feedback about the service at any time but were also invited to do so formally in meetings. One relative said, ‘‘We have been asked for our opinion on the care plans and staff take everything on board.’’ Staff and the management team were passionate about listening to people and their relatives and acting on their feedback. The management and staff team had worked hard to make sure people were involved in all aspects of their support and were at the centre of any decisions made. For example, staff had supported people to identify specific goals and put plans in place to achieve these. Evidence such as photos showed the significant impact this had for people. One relative said, ‘‘[Family members] confidence is amazing now. They have really come out of their shell.’’

The management and staff team had prioritised supporting people to access and be a part of their local community. For example, they had worked with a specific transport company which specialised in supporting people with mobility support needs to ensure access to the community was not a barrier. They had also worked with various partners in the community such as local day services, places of worship and shops to ensure people had access to the community when they chose to. One person said, ‘‘We go out all the time. I really enjoy it.’’ We observed staff offering people the opportunity to go out of the service regularly and people were visibly happy and excited to do this. A relative said, ‘‘[Family member] lives a full and varied life at the service, more so than anywhere else they've lived and this has been very clear over the last year. They are excited to tell us what they have been up to.’’

The management and staff team had worked with people to identify goals and aspirations and supported people to achieve these. This had a massive positive impact for people. One person told us, ‘‘I am so happy now. [Staff] let me be who I am and I am so happy now.’’ Another person said, ‘‘Excited about it.’’ when we spoke with them about a goal they had to start a community activity. Another person had been supported to learn a new skill in the house and also take part in a garden activity. They were delighted to show us pictures of this. A relative said, ‘‘It is fantastic what [family member] has been supported to achieve. The [staff] hearts are in the right place and cannot be praised enough.’’ Another relative explained, ‘‘After COVID [family member] was very demotivated and almost scared to go out. [Staff] have worked hard with them and they are much happier to do this now.’’ The management and staff team had embraced RSRCRC and were excited to tell us how they supported people to identify and achieve outcomes in line with their likes and preferences. Staff were keen to help people achieve what they wanted and then work with people to immediately identify something else for them to work towards of they chose to do so. The provider had identified where RSRCRC had not been implemented at the service in the past and worked with the manager and staff team to help ensure people were now supported in line with this guidance. The positive impact this had for people was evident in how people had been supported to achieve their goals and access and become a part of the community.

People had been supported to put plans in place for the future, with the support of their relatives and the staff team. People’s support plans detailed what would be important to them at this time of their life and gave a good overview of people’s specific needs and preferences. Staff understood how to support people with dignity and respect at this time and had access to external support from other organisations if this was necessary. Staff also supported people to plan for the future in relation to their loved ones. One relative explained how staff had made a lot of effort to prepare a person for what may happen to their relative in the future. This relative explained, ‘‘[Staff] are preparing [family member] for what they might see the next time they see [relative]. They are doing a great job and without their support [family member] would be unable to see [relative] at this time. We are so thankful to the staff team.’’