Alexandra Nursing Home - Poulton-le-Fylde

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 68 (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 at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. Nevertheless, care plans did not always clearly reflect people’s needs and preferences. Records of care did not always line up with care delivered. For example, if it was identified someone required time critical support, it was not always recorded as having happened.

Everyone had a care plan, but not all plans were tailored to people’s current needs. Some care plans held the wrong or contradictory information. The registered manager said care plans would be reviewed.

We observed staff provide appropriate support to maximise people’s involvement in decision making. Staff supported people’s lifestyle choices, they promoted choice by showing people different clothes from their wardrobe and real food available at mealtimes. Relatives said they were kept informed about changes in family member’s health and wellbeing.

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.

The registered manager told us their use of agency staff had been reduced, and when using agency staff they sought to employ the same staff members. This promoted a continuity of care for people.

The provider supported people to attend community based health appointments and welcomed health and social care professionals into the home. Visiting health professionals said staff were responsive to any advice and suggestions they made. This collaborative approach ensured people’s care needs were met.

The provider did not always supply appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Some care plans did not hold accurate and up to date information. The registered manager took action to review and amend people’s personal information, so they reflected their current communication needs. We observed staff promote positive interactions, they spoke with people using plain language, crouched so they were at the same eye level and gave people time to respond.

We observed people used humour to foster positive relationships. One person who spoke English could revert to their first language if they became agitated. Their care plan included words in this language to promote positive conversations between them and staff.

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

There was a complaints procedure which was accessible to people and those who wereimportant to them.People and their relatives said they knew how to make a complaint andwould feel comfortable doing so without fear of reprisals and believed their concerns would beacted upon. People knew the names of the staff to whom they could approach

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

The home was easily accessible for those with mobility difficulties. Referrals to specialist services such as advocates, district nurses and doctors were completed promptly where there was a change in people’s 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.

We observed staff promoting equal opportunities within the home. For example, people were supported to follow their lifestyle choices and maintain relationships. We saw people and their loved ones, eating together and enjoying visits from their family pets. A relative commented, “We tried to get [family member] to sit in the lounge once but he said it was full of old people and wanted to get back in their room. The activities coordinator has tried to get them to do things. He has sat with [family member] and brought them magazines to read.”

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.

Where people had shared their end of life wishes, these were documented and known by staff. This included DNACPRs. DNACPR stands for ‘Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)’. It means if a person had a cardiac arrest or dies suddenly, there will be guidance on what action should or shouldn’t be taken by a healthcare professional, including not performing CPR on the person.