Lanercost House - Carlyle Suite

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.

Care plans reflected people’s physical, mental, emotional and social needs and included information about preferences and routines. Staff used care plans as a guide for daily care delivery, ensuring support aligned with people’s wishes and promoted personalised, responsive care. One staff member told us, “The care is definitely person centred. The care plans are easy to understand and easy to follow. I can read people's life history, likes and dislikes and what activities they enjoy.”
 

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities. Care was joined-up, flexible and supported people’s choice and continuity of care.

Care and support were tailored to meet people’s individual needs, helping to ensure people received fair, inclusive and person-centred care. Staff told us they knew people well and developed this understanding through reading care plans and spending time talking with people.

Staff worked collaboratively with families, volunteers and health professionals to ensure care was coordinated and responsive. Health professionals spoke positively about how the service worked with them. One health professional said, “They phone me up and they let me know that they've got concerns. They're completely on the ball and the care is so good.”

The service benefited from a consistent staff team, which supported continuity of care. This stability enabled staff to build strong relationships with people and their families and develop a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences.
 

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats tailored to people’s individual needs.

Care plans included clear details about people’s communication needs, helping to ensure information was shared in ways people could understand. Staff adapted their communication styles to meet individual needs, supporting people to be involved in their care as much as possible.

The registered manager told us, “We have information in various languages, and we can access documents in braille, large print, and easy read format. We read to people individually if required.”
We observed staff communicating with people in a responsive and supportive way, taking time to ensure people understood the information being shared.
 

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback, raise concerns and be involved in decisions about their care, treatment and support. Staff listened to people and their relatives and took action where needed.

Relatives told us the registered manager was approachable and open to feedback. One relative said, “the Manager is very supportive and not defensive if I have comments to make.” People and their relatives understood how to give feedback, share ideas or raise concerns about the care provided. The registered manager told us complaints were taken seriously and every effort was made to ensure they were resolved to people’s satisfaction.

The provider regularly sought people’s views through surveys and meetings for people using the service and their families. Relatives spoke positively about these opportunities. One relative told us, “I get an invite but because of work I can’t always attend. But they do ask me if I have any questions that I want raised and they’ve always included them in the minutes.” Another relative said, “Yes, I have been to a relatives meeting, they are regular. I mentioned at the last one, it was a pleasure to watch the staff in action.”

Staff spoke about the actions taken in response to feedback. One staff member told us, “We discussed in residents meeting having theme days, e.g. Scottish themed activities and haggis for example. Menu themed around the world. We are going to plan this as an action from the residents meeting.”
 

The provider ensured people were able to access the care, support and treatment they needed, when they needed it.

Care was delivered in a way that met people’s individual needs and circumstances. Staff understood people’s needs and ensured care was provided in a timely and accessible way. Care plans were regularly reviewed, which helped ensure support remained appropriate and responsive to any changes.

The environment was designed to support accessibility and independence. Corridors were wide and easy to navigate, and clear signage was in place to help people move around the service safely.

People had access to a range of healthcare professionals, including district nurses, dietitians and speech and language therapists, which supported them to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Systems were in place to ensure continuity of care, including contingency plans for emergencies and on-call arrangements, helping to ensure people could access support when needed.
 

The provider recognised the importance of equality and worked to ensure people received fair and inclusive care. Staff and leaders considered people’s individual needs, backgrounds and circumstances to support positive experiences and outcomes.

Staff had received training in equality and diversity and demonstrated an understanding of people’s rights to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect. They were confident in supporting people with different needs and understood how inequalities could affect people’s experiences of care.

Policies and procedures were in place to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Feedback and our observations showed staff applied this in practice, supporting people in a way that was respectful of their individual needs and helped reduce the risk of inequity of experiences or outcomes.
 

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

The registered manager spoke positively about the importance of providing high-quality end of life care. They told us, “We’ve had significant praise for the end of life care we provide.” The provider had also supported a staff member to develop guidance to help other staff deliver compassionate and effective end of life care. This guidance was clear, respectful and demonstrated a strong commitment to good practice.

End of life care plans were in place for people. However, these would benefit from further detail to evidence how people and their families had been fully involved in discussions about their wishes and preferences. The provider listened to our feedback and told us they planned to further develop their approach to gathering and recording people’s end of life wishes.