Beech Lodge - Mablethorpe

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 67 (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 assessed people’s needs well. Staff reviewed people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People had not received specific sensory assessments but sensory needs had been identified and included in care plans where relevant. Staff spoke to people often about their health and wellbeing and used different communication aids such as signs and pictures to help people understand and be heard. People’s assessed holistic needs were included in care plans. Referrals were made to external professionals when needed to support safe care.

The provider planned and delivered care with people. Staff focused on what was important to each person and what mattered in their daily life. Care and treatment followed legislation and current good practice. Changes in needs were monitored through regular reviews of people’s health checks. Staff kept in contact with people each day and noticed when things changed. They used care records to track health conditions and updated these when new information was shared. Staff made referrals to external professionals when needed and followed their advice. Routine appointments such as annual health checks, dentist, optician and GP visits also helped staff identify any changes early.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. Staff shared assessments when people moved between services so people did not have to repeat their story.

Staff teams worked well with each other. They gave positive feedback about teamwork across the service. Communication was clear and staff understood each person’s needs. Communication between teams was managed through regular handovers and daily discussions about people’s needs. Staff shared updates in care records so everyone had the same information. This helped teams work consistently and reduced the risk of misunderstandings.

Some relatives were concerned about recent staff turnover. They told us this had not affected the culture or atmosphere of the service. They said they could rely on the staff team and felt people were still well supported.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing in ways that promoted independence, choice and control. Staff encouraged people to live healthier lives and helped them reduce future care needs where possible.

People were offered choices about meals and nutrition. Staff promoted healthy lifestyles by helping people understand diet and encouraging exercise. One person told us, “The food is good, we all sit down and plan a weekly menu, all get involved in the shopping, preparation and cooking of the meals.”

Staff helped people prepare for their health reviews by explaining what the appointment was for and what would be discussed. They used signs, pictures and simple language to support understanding. Staff gathered updates about health needs, routines and any concerns and shared this with the GP so the review was meaningful. They supported people to attend appointments, gave reassurance and helped with communication. After the review, staff updated care plans and followed any advice to help people stay well.

The provider monitored people’s care and treatment but did not always record information about social and learning outcomes in a clear way. Records did not always show what worked well for people or what needed to change. Goals did not include enough guidance to help staff use a consistent approach when supporting the person to learn something new or plan a new event. Outcomes were not always recorded using meaningful contextual information, which made it difficult to see progress or identify areas for improvement. The provider told us they already had a new system planned and were in the process of agreeing how to train staff and implemented the new system.

Despite this we found people had good outcomes, they were very positive about the support received and very proud of continuing to learn new skills and explore new places. People were encouraged to get involved and their choices were respected. One person told us, “I do like living here. I’m able to go out when and where I like but need to advise staff where I’m planning on going.” Another person said, “I like cooking, I cook stir fries, curries and Chinese food, I like treacle pudding with custard. I help with cleaning, polishing and washing.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent. Staff respected these rights when giving person centred care. People were asked for their consent each day when being offered choices and their decisions were respected.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) says staff must always assume a person can make their own decisions unless proven otherwise. People must be given support to understand information before deciding. If a person cannot decide, staff must act in their best interests and choose the least restrictive option.

We found the provider was following the principles of the MCA, however, while mental capacity assessments were in place, they did not record how people were supported to understand the specific decision. The assessments did not show what was explained, what questions were asked, how the person responded or what communication aids were used. We discussed this with the registered manager who agreed to review and improve how these assessments are recorded in the future.