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

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.

The provider made 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. People’s care plans demonstrated staff had considered people’s individual preferences and used this information to complete a personalised care plan for staff to follow.

People’s care records reflected their individual preferences, physical health and wellbeing needs. We found some care plans had detailed guidance to direct and support people to manage specific health conditions, for example with catheter care. Plans recorded when the catheter was last changed and next date change was due. A staff member said they used a diary as prompt for checking it had been done. People’s mobility plans detailed, and showed staff had considered if further equipment was required, for example, decisions taken to see if a floor sensor mat was or was not required, type of mattress required and contact details for equipment teams in case of concerns or emergency.

Some elements of some care plans would benefit from further details. For example, some sexualised behaviours for one person was managed and known by staff, but details regarding no lone males to provide personal care was not detailed. Staff spoken with knew there was an expectation that any male (agency) staff would not provide personal care to this person to make sure, people received care in a way they wanted.

People had access to a hairdresser who regularly visited the home. Some people had private physio support which helped them receive the care they needed to promote their wellbeing. A staff member gave examples showing how they understood people’s preferences can change throughout their dementia journey, such as taste buds changing, so they no longer enjoy tea. The staff member said, “We try other things and different flavours.” One staff member told us how staff had monitored one person’s anxiety and identified through effective working across the staff team; as the person may be experiencing pain. Appropriate plans of care had been developed, and the person’s pain was managed, resulting in the person feeling more engaged with life at the home. Staff had a good understanding of people’s interests and used this when chatting with people. For example, we saw staff talked about the birds they saw in the garden with a person who was engaged in their discussions with staff.

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 had regular access to a visiting GP and staff advocated for people who were not able to communicate their needs, all of the time. People were supported to obtain help from other health and social care professionals and referred to specialist health teams where appropriate. Staff explained agency staff use was limited, and agency staff were put on double ups with more familiar staff to make sure, care continued to be provided to meet people’s needs and wishes.

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

We saw some pictorial signage around the home that helped people navigate around their surroundings, for example, to let people know where toilets and dining rooms were located. Clocks had changed the weekend prior to our visit. All most all of the clocks had been changed and the communal lounge had a large print digital display clock on the mantelpiece to make it easier for people with impaired vision to read.

Staff supported people to receive and understand information in various forms. One staff member said they had supported one person to use a magnifying glass so they could see certain things. Another staff member said, “[Registered manager] would always use large font, if needed.” Staff gave examples showing how they had supported 1 person to obtain audio and large front format books from the local library, as this better met their communication needs and preferences.

Where people had identified communication or cognition difficulties, there was a communication plan in place. The service appropriately identified people’s individual communication needs to make sure information was always provided in an accessible way. This included making reasonable adjustments for example interpreting and translation for people who don’t speak English as a first language. One staff member shared some people living at the home had difficulties with hearing and so they wrote things down for the person to help aid communication. Choice and communication plans for some people did not always describe their levels of vision, especially for people who had limited sight. Staff agreed to include this information.

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.

People were confident to ask staff if they wanted assistance, and people’s relaxed demeanour indicated they were confident they would get the support they wanted. People were involved in providing their feedback through day to day living at the home. People felt able to raise anything they wanted to and people did have the opportunity through feedback surveys. Relative meetings were no longer held through limited attendance; however, relatives raised no issues to us that they did not have a way to share their feedback or concerns. One relative confirmed this, “We have regular contact, especially if [Relative] has a fall. There aren’t meetings (for friends and family) but I am sure you could have one if you required it."

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

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into the home and care plans reflected any reasonable adjustments the person needed to ensure their needs were met. In some cases, people visited the home first, before deciding to move in to make sure it felt right for them. Where people needed support from other external professionals and additional monitoring of their health, this was completed.

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 told us about improved outcomes achieved through the extra support staff provided. This had led to increased health and wellbeing for people with protected characteristics. To meet people’s protected characteristic needs included additional support with skin integrity, pain reduction or to reduce people’s anxiety. We saw staff respected people’s individual choices, especially in relation to what they did, where they went and what they wanted to wear, or eat at mealtimes.

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. At the time of our inspection, no one was receiving end of life care.

One staff member told us, “All staff support you when you do end of life care. Staff stood and watched [person’s name] leave [the home for the last time]. We had a group hug and a cry. You can talk to the managers, they know it is a shock for you. They are fair and try to let you go to the funerals, they know it has to be fair.”

Relatives were welcomed by staff to come and stay at the home with their family members at critical stages in their end-of-life journeys.