Springfield Care Home

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they did not always work in partnership with people, to decide how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans we looked at were not consistently person centred and did not always include guidance for staff on people’s choices and preferences for how they wanted staff to support them. The care plans did not include information about people’s life stories or their lives prior to moving to the service.

Some care plans did not provide enough information on how to effectively support people. This included people with poor eyesight. Care plans did not always include guidance for staff such as if people preferred things to be kept in certain places in their rooms, for staff to introduce themselves as they approached people who may not be able to see them, or other information such as informing people where the food was on their plate or to ensure the call bell was within reach.

Care plans in relation to emotional support lacked information for staff on how to meet people’s needs. Instead plans referred to “Staff to remain patient and give me plenty of reassurance when I am feeling low.” There was nothing to inform staff what kind of reassurance the person needed.

Staff understood the principles of person-centred care. They told us that when someone new moved to the service information about them was in the care plan which was in their hand-held device. Despite the lack of person-centred information, staff did know people. A staff member said, “For any new residents, we ask them about themselves, what they like, what help they want. We ask what time they like to get up and go to bed. If people prefer male or female staff, we must follow it.”

People and their relatives told us staff knew them. A person said, “They know me alright, and I’m well looked after.” People’s relatives told us they had been asked to provide information about their loved ones when they moved to the service and had been invited to review care plans. Comments from people’s relatives included, “Yes, I think they’ve got a good idea as to who [the person] is” and “The staff really do know [the person] as a person and take a proper interest in [person’s] life.” We saw there was a short synopsis of people’s life displayed outside their bedrooms.

The provider 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 told us they had access to health and social care professionals when required. Staff told us and we observed how they referred people for GP review. Staff could contact the GP surgery at any time if they had any concerns or questions, alongside weekly on-site visits.

We saw records in place of when people were reviewed by health professionals. A health professional said, “Staff are fantastic, in particular the manager; they have all the information needed for me and they know their residents inside out. The staff are always quick to highlight any concerns via phone also.”

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

People’s communication needs were assessed and when people experienced difficulties with hearing or speech, their care plans were informative and clear. These plans informed staff to speak slowly and clearly and to make eye contact with people. We observed this in practise and saw staff crouching down to people’s eye level when speaking to them.

Some people used mobile phones to keep in touch with family and friends and care plans directed staff to ensure these devices were charged so that people were able to use them.

The provider 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.

Resident and relative meetings took place, and we saw minutes of these. One person told us they had asked for a stair gate to be installed, and it was fitted the following day. They told us “How’s that for service!”

People’s relatives told us they were aware of meetings taking place. Comments included, “Yes, I go to the meetings. The inappropriate location of the hairdresser salon was raised and that’s now in a much better place. The defunct lift was also raised, and someone suggested a stair lift, and they’ve got one now. I’d like them to have a minibus for trips out” and “There are questionnaires they give us. I do fill it in. I like them to know how wonderful they are."

Everyone we spoke with said they felt comfortable speaking with staff and the manager. People and their relatives were aware of how to make a formal complaint if needed and told us they felt confident that any concerns raised would be taken seriously by the management team.

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

People with protected characteristics were supported to have equitable access to services. For example, people with a disability which impacted their ability to leave the home were supported to access health services to meet their individual needs.

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.

Staff received training in equity, diversity and human rights to help them understand equality and address discrimination. People’s cultural and spiritual choices were respected.

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.

Staff had documented people’s wishes around their future care, including their preferences for where they wanted to be at the end of their lives. Staff had received training specific to end of life care. A staff member said, “We want to make sure that when someone is approaching the end of their life, it is dignified for people and their families. We had a resident who liked [specific background noise] and so we put the smart speaker in the room and got it play what they liked.”