Clarkson House Residential 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 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 71 (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 generally contained person centred detail and most people had information about their preferences and life story within the care records. These were not always used to develop care plans but it was evident that staff knew people well. One person commented, “The staff make me feel included and welcome. They cheer me up if I’m down, they seem to know how I am feeling.”

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’s health needs were being met and appropriate advice and support was sought where this was needed. Staff sought support from external professionals where this was needed and generally this was incorporated into people’s care plans.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. The provider told us they could adapt information to meet people’s needs. Information about people’s communication needs were incorporated into care plans and staff knew how to effectively communicate with people. We observed staff talk to people with kindness and patience and support people to respond. The registered manager told us they had communication cards available to support effective communication.

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 told us they felt involved in daily decision making and that staff listened to them. People told us they had been involved in developing plans of care but records of their involvement were not always clear within the records. People were unsure if or how they had been involved in reviews of care, but overall were happy with the care provided and felt able to raise concerns. People were not able to tell us if they have been asked to give feedback about the service. We reviewed recent surveys which had been completed by staff, and the provider was currently asking for feedback from visiting professionals. The provider told us they used feedback to develop their action plan for improvements across the home, and tried to resolve any concerns people had as quickly as possible. The home received very few complaints; people told us they knew how to complain but felt they did not need to. Where complaints had been made, these appeared to be responded to appropriately.

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

People told us they felt well treated and were supported to access any services they needed. Staff generally worked well with other services and knew how to refer people to support services they might need.

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.

People spoke positively about the care they received. People felt listened to, and families feedback was positive about outcomes for people. At the time of our visit there were shortfalls in how people were provided meaningful activities but staff worked well together to ensure people were able to engage in various forms of stimulation and activities during the day. Staff completed training around equality, diversity and human rights, and understood the importance of meeting people’s preference and promoting people’s choices and rights

People were not always 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.

Care plans were in place in relation to care people wished to receive as they approached the end of their life. However, these lacked detailed and information about how the person wanted to be supported. The registered manager had identified these issues and was supporting the senior staff team to address this, and have these conversations with people and their families. One person commented, “I feel that my future plans have been sorted.”.