Lonsdale Midlands Limited - 164 Walker Road

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 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 was exceptional at making 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.

Relatives told us the staff team had an excellent understanding of people, and supported them well, anticipating their needs and responses. One relative said “[Person]’s routine is better; the carers have got to know him. They have settled more there than they did at home. That’s how good the staff are. We told them when he first went there that we would let them know if we weren’t happy, but we can’t fault them. The staff there, they recognise the triggers with [person] with their autism they can lash out, doesn’t matter who it is as they are noise sensitive and the staff manage this so well.”

The importance of people’s family relationships was strongly recognised by the staff team who planned mother’s and father’s day events so people could spend quality time with their family members during key events. Relatives spoke positively about these events and valued the efforts made by staff to support people’s relationship with their loved ones. One relative said, “There are lots of examples of staff going above and beyond, things like Mother’s Day the staff put on a little afternoon tea service and its fantastic. The barbecue for Father’s Day and they don’t have to do that. They dress up at Halloween and all throughout the year. It’s amazed both me and my husband how far they do go.”

People’s care was designed around them and their needs as individuals. People’s care was regularly reviewed, involving the person and, where appropriate, their relatives. Staff sought people’s views and opinions and used people’s communication methods to ensure they were fully involved.

Staff planned activities and events with people’s individual needs in mind. For example, when planning a holiday for a person who had not been on a holiday they had considered the time of year, taking familiar items with them, like the person’s own television, and creating a holiday playlist for the person to help them feel at ease and have some familiar music as they travelled.

When developing skills for independence, staff considered people’s previous experiences and allowed people to dictate the pace at which things happened and did not rush them. Even small amounts of progress were considered and recorded as a success and people were supported to keep taking steps towards a more independent life.

Care plans and risk assessments contained details about people’s likes, dislikes, preferences, and considered people’s life histories and past experiences.

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.

The staff team worked in partnership with professionals who supported the holistic needs of each individual person. This included GP’s, consultants, podiatrists, opticians, dentists and social workers.

There was a consistent group of staff who understood people well and this provided stability for people in their daily lives. Being given the option to choose the staff who supported them on a daily basis, meant people could develop trust with the staff who supported them. This enabled people to live full and enriched lives, taking part in the things they enjoyed while also being supported to develop new skills and participate in new experiences.

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

People’s communication needs had been assessed and staff used guidance in people’s care plans to provide consistency in communication. Staff shared with us examples of how they interpreted people’s sounds and body language to fully understand what they wanted and how they wanted to spend their time. One staff member said, “Everyone here communicates in a different way. One person can say what they want, another person uses PECS [Picture Exchange Communication System], and others use signs to tell us how they want to travel.” Another staff member told us, “[Person] likes to look through books and leaflets. They like to know what is happening next, so we tell them to reassure them.”

Information was available in various formats and was used to meet the needs of each person living at the home.

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 given opportunities to share their views on their experience of care. Their responses were recorded using their chosen method of communication. For some people a thumbs up or thumbs down response was recorded in answer to questions about things they liked or disliked.

Relatives were also asked for their views and told us they were confident to share any concerns for their family members. One relative told us, “[Name of registered manager] or the team leader, no doubt we would talk to them if we had any concerns, they do ask if we have any concerns.”

There was a system in place for the management of complaints. There had been no recent complaints about the service, however the registered manager was aware of their responsibilities to ensure people were given opportunities to feedback and used any information they received to make improvements to the quality of care provided.

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

Relatives spoke positively about how people’s lives had improved since moving into the home. One relative said, “Staff seem to be on the ball, we feel blessed that we got a place there. It’s such a relief off our minds.” Another relative said, “[Person] has come on a bundle. They are far happier there than he would be at home, the staff do more things for [person] then I could ever imagine.”

The staff team positively prompted the rights of people who lived at the home. Staff acted as advocates for people and supported their involvement in both the community and the home.

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 took a positive approach to people’s diverse needs and worked to break down social barriers that may restrict people from being fully involved in their local community. By identifying opportunities for people and designing experiences, such as the festival based in the garden of the home, staff promoted equity in experiences and supported people to access services and activities that may previously not have been accessible to them.

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 the inspection there was no-one living at the home who required end of life care. However, the registered manager understood their responsibilities and information was included in people’s care plans, so their wishes could be followed.

People’s understanding of life changes was also documented, so staff could effectively support them when significant life events took place or there were changes in their circumstances.