Pickworth House

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.This is the first assessment for this registered service. This key question has been rated 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 people decided in partnership with staff, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs.

Care plans were clear, robust, regularly reviewed, and tailored to each person’s needs and preferences. Staff supported people in line with their routines, cultural or religious practices, and communication styles. Visual aids and easy read documents were used to help people make informed choices and remain involved in their care.

Reasonable adjustments were made proactively, and staff were trained to deliver consistent, person-centred support. People told us they felt listened to and supported in ways that suited them. People were recognised as individuals with their own history, values, routines and preferences. Care and support were shaped in partnership with external professionals and family around what mattered most to each person. 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

Staff offered people choices and supported them to make decisions. People felt confident and comfortable to be able to voice their opinions and make decisions around their care with the support and guidance of the staff. A person told us, “I am included and Involved in my care. I know what is happening and I can make decisions and choices on how I want to live my life.”

Feedback from external teams stated. “They have been keen on engaging [people] in activities that they would like to do, and there have been excursions to wrestling events, football matches and a trip to Scarborough. Pickworth have always ensured these visits are thoroughly risk assessed and liaised well with teams to ensure there are no restrictions in place to stop these things from happening (i.e. probation, restriction zones, Community Treatment order conditions).”

Visiting professionals stated the service was focused on providing person-centred care and support, and achieves exceptional results, which was apparent in a short space of time the service had been open.

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 had a good relationship with professionals, who gave positive feedback. A professional told us, “The team have always been welcoming and professional, responsive to emails or concerns and worked collaboratively to ensure that there are no gaps in care for the people there. They have supported with engaging in imperative community groups (i.e. probation, drug courses, psychology sessions) and have had successful transitions for people leaving both secure and acute settings.”

Staff were very happy and proud to share the positive progress of people they supported and gave examples of how the team worked together and provided assurances around their safety and reduced anxieties. This included 1 person who initially struggled with loud noises and sirens now holding the role of Fire Marshall for two services including Pickworth House. With the support of staff they performed weekly fire safety checks, testing alarms and checking all doors are safe.

Daily handovers and monthly reviews helped keep care consistent and up to date. Staff regularly updated risk assessments and care plans to reflect people’s changing capacity and wishes.

Rotas were planned accordingly around how people chose to spend their time to ensure that safe staffing numbers were met, and people knew who would be supporting them on that day. This resulted in supported trusting relationships and continuity of care due to the provider not needing to use agency staff.

The staff team made sure people had easy access to clear information about their care and restrictions, using formats that suited their individual needs. People were supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs such as large print text, easy read documents or having the addition of images, using the Widget system.

Staff were updated through morning and evening staff handover meetings, weekly team meetings and written communications including changes to support plans and risk assessments. Staff members told us that they are aware of where to locate policies and procedure paperwork and how to access additional information online. Staff worked to ensure that people were actively included in decisions that affected their care through community meetings and ward rounds, striving to create a more inclusive and empowering environment.

People were kept informed about any changes that affected them, such as new medicine guidelines or updated risk assessments, the provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty.

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 and those close to them were supported to understand and raise concerns or make complaints when this was needed. Staff knew people well and said they would recognise if someone was not happy with any aspect of their care.

The provider had a complaints procedure including an anonymous online service. Complaints received were responded to appropriately and used to improve and develop the service. One example included Pickworth House supporting an application for one person to purchase a mobility car due to his poor mobility. The car would enable him to have further access to trips and activities that provide him with happiness and meaningful experiences.

People told us they were able to raise any concerns or complaints to the staff team and felt comfortable to do so with outcomes provided if appropriate but were not aware of how or who to contact externally. One person told us, “I don’t have any complaints but if I did, I know I can speak to the managers or tell the CQC.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The registered manager and staff understood the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people and worked hard to ensure typical barriers faced by people were removed or mitigated against. Care plans and Positive Behaviour Support plans (PBS) documented adjustments to be made and agreed ways of working together for individuals in the community such as a person who had difficulty and anxieties with loud noises, the presence of police officers and large groups of teenager children.

People’s protected characteristics were considered at all stages of their care within Pickworth House. Staff gave examples of adjustments they had made to how they supported people allowing them to live safely within the community alongside their health conditions and personal preferences. One person shared they were more proactive in the early mornings after waking up. Staff recognised this and supported the person by arranging any professional appointments for later in the day. This helped people to maintain their quality of life and promote independent living skills such as attending health appointments and accessing local attractions in the community.

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.

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The management team and staff understood the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people and worked hard to ensure typical barriers faced by people were removed or mitigated against.

Providing people with person-centred care was embedded in the values of the service by a team of highly passionate staff and managers. Staff told us that they were very proud of the service and what they have achieved for the people living there. This involved building their confidence and knowledge in living skills, social interaction and confidence within the community as some people had previously lived within a hospital environment. Staff spoke with people in a way that supported their understanding. This included using short clear sentences and maintaining eye contact. Staff received training and support to ensure that they were aware of the importance of ensuring people were not subject to inequality or discrimination. Staff spoke with people in a way that supported their understanding.

People told us they were, very happy with the care they received. One person said, “the staff all like me and they treat me with respect.”

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future. Staff were supporting people to learn to live more independently and have the skills and confidence to move into a home of their own in the future if that is what they wished.

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. The service was not supporting anyone at the end of their lives at the time of our assessment. People were supported to think about their future care in a way that suited them, staff used gentle, person-centred approaches to revisit these topics at appropriate times, helping people feel more comfortable over time. Plans were flexible and adapted as people's needs and choices changed.

Staff took time to understand how each person wanted to be supported with changes in their life, including health needs, ageing, or end-of-life care decisions. Some people had already shared clear preferences about the care they wanted, and this was recorded respectfully, others who did not want to talk about these topics, staff respected their choice but made sure emergency care instructions were in place.

Professionals spoke highly of people and their individual progress in a short space of time. They were invested and proud to support plans and gave positive feedback to the Pickworth House team which said, “We hope that people are to use Pickworth House as a stepping stone with hopes to one day live independently within the community. Some people have shared that they do not want to move and are happy staying here, which is their decision. The aims are for staff to be able to support people in maintaining their physical and mental health while learning new skills to become independent.”