Burlington Hall 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 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 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. There were some less person-centred aspects of people’s care plans. For example, some people’s care plans lacked information about their specific likes or their life history. The registered manager took immediate action to update these care plans during our inspection.

Staff were able to tell us how people liked to be supported and clearly knew people well. People and relatives were extremely positive about how they were supported. One person said, ‘‘It is brilliant here. It is my home now and I hope I can live here for the rest of my days.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] used to be very bored but now they have a great life, and the staff make sure they support them with things they really like to do.’’

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. Staff understood and respected people’s cultural support needs, in relation to the food they chose to eat and the religious practices they wished to follow. The staff team was consistent, so people knew who was supporting them and had good continuity of care. A lot of staff had worked at the service for extended periods of time. Staff members whose role it was to provide social engagement for people had worked hard to provide for individual needs and offered access to the community regularly. One person said, ‘‘We can go out and about quite a bit if we want.’’ A relative told us ‘‘One thing that impressed us about the service is how well joined up the care was between staff members. They have all clearly worked together for a long time.’’

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. We observed staff speaking with people in a slow and relaxed way to help make sure people understood what was being communicated with them. Staff used ways of communicating such as pictures, equipment or objects to help people understand what was being communicated with them. Information such as policies and care plans were available in accessible formats where necessary. People and relatives were invited to meetings to discuss what was happening at the service so information could be shared with them. Staff had daily handovers to discuss how people’s support needs may have changed or any other information they needed to know. One person said, ‘‘I need to use [equipment] to help me read and staff make sure this is always with me.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘Communication is a key strength at the service, and we are always kept up to date.’’

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment, and support. People were invited to feed back in meetings at the service however these were only attended by a small number of people. Staff, therefore, took time to speak with people who did not attend these meetings one to one to collect their individual feedback on a regular basis. People and their relatives were given the opportunity to be involved in discussing care plans and risk assessments. This was an area the registered manager was working hard to encourage them to feedback about. One person said, ‘‘We have lots of chats about how things are going, and staff always listen.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘We feel 100% listened to and can speak with the staff about anything that is bothering or worrying us.’’

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support, and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service was accessible to people. Staff supported people to contact health professionals such as GP’s or speech and language therapists if necessary and supported them to attend appointments with these professionals. Professionals were positive about how the staff team worked with them to support people as discussed in the Effective and Well-led sections of this report.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored care, support and treatment in response to this.

Without exception people had been supported to have fantastic outcomes since living at the service. We have discussed and given examples of health-related outcomes in the Effective key question of this report. However, people were also supported to achieve great outcomes in other areas of their lives.

For example, one person used to go and meet their friends at a local community opportunity on a regular basis before living at the service. Staff made sure they supported the person to maintain this and visit their friends at the place they used to on a regular basis. The impact this had for the person was outstanding and we saw pictures showing how happy the person was to be doing this. Another person had been supported to visit a local community opportunity in relation to their job before they started living at the service. Again, it was clear this had a hugely positive outcome for the person. Relatives told us how staff supported their family members to access the community with them or return to the family home for visits if this was their choice. Again, it was clear how important and significant an impact this had for people and their family members.

Staff facilitated and offered multiple opportunities for people to access and be a part of their local community at local pubs, churches and other establishments. The management and staff team made a real effort to try and establish what interested people and then offer social pastimes to people in line with this. There were numerous entertainers who visited the service to engage with people and help them to reminisce about their lives or support them to follow their interests. One person said, ‘‘There is always something going on here and we can get out and about a lot. It makes me feel so much better than being cooped up inside all the time.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘The staff team put every ounce of effort in to catering for people’s needs. They have so many opportunities to experience both new and old things and the staff and management team are the drivers in all of this. It is exemplary.’’

Staff ensured people who may be more likely to experience inequalities were supported with the highest quality when they attended appointments. Staff knew people exceptionally well and advocated fully for them at all times to help make sure they had positive experiences and outcomes. A professional told us, ‘‘I find the services open, receptive environment supports the residents' well-being and addresses their specialised needs. The team is keen to explore new options and approaches to find more efficient solutions. Management is available for communication, and the team leaders and carers are always at hand to provide further information or follow up on the new suggestions. I have no concerns at all and believe people are getting the best care they can at the service.’’

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 supported people with dignity and respect at the end of their life. Detailed plans were in place to help staff understand what was important to people at this time. We received feedback from a lot of relatives whose family members had passed away whilst living at the service, praising the way the staff team supported them during this time. One family member said, ‘‘During [family members] final days, as they navigated frequent hospitalisations, we never felt alone. The management team advocated on their behalf, coordinating closely with hospital discharge teams, doctors, and nurses to facilitate their return to the home. They overcame clinical barriers with minimal disruption, ensuring the environment was safe, comfortable, and robust.’’