Stallcombe House

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

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service was exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans and assessments of people’s needs were person-centred. The management team and their staff put people at the heart of the service and people’s goals, dreams and aspirations drove the service.

The person-centred ethos of the service enabled people’s dreams to be a reality. There were numerous examples of this ethos being adopted and embedded. For example, for one person their dream was to go to a holiday park and meet up with their family. An obstacle, which was overcome, was the person did not like long car journeys. Staff worked with them to gradually increase the time they were out in the car. This gave them a sense of pride and achievement, and they were able to attend their holiday.

Staff regularly thought ‘outside of the box’ to ensure people experienced meaningful and enriched lives. For one person, tennis has a calming effect for them. They loved tennis and watched it regularly. A staff member thought of how they can explore further opportunities for this person to enjoy tennis. They contacted a local tennis centre and asked if the person could sit in the café and watch people play tennis. This activity continues to happen for this person which has a positive impact of their overall well-being.

Feedback from family members and professionals confirmed care was person-centred and unique to each person and how the service was exceptional in the way they tailored people’s support. Relatives commented, “[Relative] is provided with excellent care and support which allows him to live a happy and meaningful life, in safe surroundings. He has many opportunities to follow his interests in music, the outdoors, and travel” and “Several staff members have gone out of their way to enrich [relative’s] life, whether by considering his diet, taking him out to enjoy music, or looking for ways to improve his daily quality of life. A professional commented, “The management team demonstrate clear and consistent communication and a strong commitment to provide person-centred care.”

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People had consistent staff teams who knew and supported them. Staff knew people and worked with them to continuously improve the care and support provided.

The provider had good links with community health and social care services. This enabled discussions and decisions with professionals to ensure care and support was joined up for better outcomes for people. One person was being actively supported by a psychologist and counsellor in collaboration with staff at Stallcombe House. They had created methods to support and reassure the individual while in the local community. This person had experienced better outcomes as a result.

Professionals commented, “Staff especially [member of management team] has a good working relationship with the Intensive Assessment and Treatment Team (IATT) which helped with improving and stabilising my client’s mental health and general wellbeing,” “I am a trained counsellor for people with learning disabilities and have been visiting Stallcombe House for a number of years and see a gentleman, providing fortnightly psychological support to the resident. I have regular involvement with the [member of management team] about the welfare of the client and how they can continue to support him in everyday life. I find the leadership helpful and pro-active with any suggestions made about the well-being of the resident”

The service provided appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. For example, ‘easy read’ documents and ‘grid pads’ enabled people to access information about the service and understand their involvement in developing their own care and support plans. A grid pad communication device is a device designedto help individuals with speech or communication difficulties, express themselves and interact with the world more independently. By enabling users to communicate effectively, grid pads promote independence and participation in daily life, allowing them to engage with others, express their needs, and participate in social activities.

People were actively involved in assessing their own needs, care planning and setting goals, dreams and aspirations. Personalised communication tools were used to support this. Positive outcomes for people were realised as a result. For example, one person wished to travel by aeroplane to go to Disneyland Paris. Using an easy read holiday document and their iPad, their dream was realised. While at Disneyland, the person chose to go swimming, an especially positive milestone, as they had previously declined to participate in this activity. Staff were now exploring suitable swimming facilities for them to access regularly. The holiday was a highly positive experience, particularly given the busy and sensory rich environment. On return from holiday, the person chose to purchase a photo album which held the pictures of their holiday. This proved a personal accomplishment for this person.

For another person they had created a journal with the support of the total communications lead to help manage their anxiety. We were invited by the person to look at their journal during our visit. They told us, "Writing things down helps me with my anxiety and stops me grinding my teeth." They showed us photos of their time spent in Hastings with their mum. They went on to tell us, "I like darts, I'm really good at darts. I have a dartboard in my bedroom. I am in the kitchen on Wednesdays - cooking and helping with lunch." I take the photos and [total communication lead] uploads them and prints them out for me to put in my journal, I then do the writing. I talk to my keyworker about my likes and dislikes, what I would like to do. Makes me happy.” The journal had prompts provided to aid self-reflection, including emotional processing and goal setting/planning. The person told us they were the total communications assistant and proudly showed us their badge which had been made by the total communications lead.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

The service had a culture of open and honest discussions, and any issues were dealt with immediately.

Complaints were seen as learning opportunities and the provider reflected on how the service could improve. The service listened to people about their needs, goals and dreams and involved them in agreeing how they could be achieved.

People were involved in conversations about their care and support and their views and feedback were captured in easy to read and understood formats. The service used advocates and independent representatives to ensure people were supported to give honest feedback in their own words.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The provider worked with people to ensure key information about their care and support was communicated appropriately using easy read formats. This promoted positive outcomes for people and enabled them to achieve their personal goals. The provider ensured people had appropriate support to reduce their anxiety in relation to attending clinical appointments.

Professionals commented, “I would like to commend the exceptional quality of care and support provided by the Stallcombe to the individuals residing there. The outcome for the clients I have involved with, have been positive, with noticeable improvements not just in their mental health but also in their overall quality of life. The team worked effectively with us recently to avoid a mental health hospital admission, demonstrating excellent professional judgement and strong understanding of the service user’s needs thus, contributing significantly to the client’s recovery within the residential setting” and “I have generally found that Stallcombe House staff have appropriately supported individuals with a learning disability to access their own appointments and express how they feel which is always really helpful. I have found that Stallcombe keep in good contact with us and are quick to escalate any concerns regarding the people we support to us appropriately.”

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

The service had been developed and designed to ensure people who received support had access to services which matched their individual care needs.

The registered manager, provider and staff, advocated on behalf of people to ensure they had access to services that matched their individual care needs. Throughout our assessment we saw multiple examples of where the service advocated on people’s behalf to ensure they received effective support and treatment.

Personal needs assessments adopted a holistic approach, which focused on people. It involved consideration of all aspects of an individual’s life, including their physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.This approach considered people’s background, experiences, and circumstances.Focus was on involving people in their own care, respecting their preferences, values, and needs. For example, the service focused on people developing daily living skills, achieving positive outcomes and encouraging independence, choice and control over their lives.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

People’s end of life preferences and choices were in the process of being explored in a sensitive manner. Relatives had been asked to be involved in this process to ensure their loved one’s wishes could be followed. These included their cultural and spiritual needs.