Buxton Lodge 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.

There was a varied activities schedule available for people. We observed some of these activities taking place during our assessment and found people to be engaged and enjoying what was on offer. One person told us, “There’s always something going on here, like singers or games.” The activities coordinator was proud to tell us of all the varying options for activities they had created. They told us, "I created a community café every Wednesday at 2.30 where people from the local community visit. I run an art and a wine club. We have had a therapy dog come in. We have made birdboxes and the residents painted them. [A local] school come in and do activities with the residents once a month. The schoolchildren danced with the residents. The residents love it, they love interacting with the kids." The activities coordinator also organised larger events so that relatives could attend and spend quality time with their family members. For example, a summer fete had been organised and invitations sent to all relatives.

The provider had plans to better utilise the communal area to better meet a variety of needs. The regional quality manager told us, “Our managing director has visited and said the layout of our lounge and dining room could be utilised better. So we could put another TV in there and sofa as more of a quiet space for people to use.”

Rooms were personalised to meet people’s individual tastes. This included decorating rooms with pictures of loved ones or artwork they had created.

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 used daily handover documents and a communications diary to share information between different staffing teams and shifts. We observed this included information such as how the person’s health and wellbeing had been for that shift, and if there had been any medical interventions, such as a visit from the GP. One staff member told us, "When we come on shift every day we have a handover from the night shift. The nurses will give us any messages - appointments, activities. Communication is key. Any information to be handed over is on [the provider’s electronic care planning system.”

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

The activity coordinator had formed a trusting relationship with people living at the service so had taken the lead on facilitating future residents’ meetings. These meetings would allow people to give their feedback on the activities and food, and if they would like any changes going forward. The newly appointed manager told us, “Several people are very articulate, so they are very able to give their feedback. We’ve got quarterly meetings with relatives and residents so we can keep them updated with what’s going on.”

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 relatives were able to share their concerns with the provider. We observed examples of this, such as a concern from a relative that their family member was not sat up and given a well-lit environment to be supported with their breakfast. The newly appointed manager had responded to this complaint whilst in his previous role under the provider. They had completed a thorough investigation and noted actions that needed to be taken to prevent reoccurrence.

However, we identified follow up actions were not completed. This has been reported on further in the well-led section of this report.

Staff ensured that people were able to continue to receive the regular care appointments they required for their health needs. For example, dentists and opticians were able to visit the service to complete regular checks for people. This meant health care services continued to be accessible for people, even if their mobility left unable to leave the service on a regular basis. Where specialist services were required, staff supported people to attend hospital appointments further afield. For example, one person was supported to attend a specialist dentist appointment at a London hospital.

The majority of staff had completed equality and diversity training. This helped them identify protected characteristics of people and aid them to advocate for people to ensure any barriers to care were addressed and removed. For example, where safe to, they ensured people’s physical disabilities did not prevent them from being able to return to their family homes to attend family gatherings. This ensured they were able to continue to live as normal life as possible and still experience regular family life.

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.

We identified one person was admitted to the service on a fast-track pathway. A fast-track discharge is considered when someone has a life-limiting illness, and their condition appears to be rapidly deteriorating. However, this person did not have an end of life care plan in place, to inform staff how they would like there last days to be. This meant staff may not be aware of their wishes and be unable to fulfil them.

We observed other end of life care plans were in place for people. These detailed who the person would like to be present in their final days, and any funeral arrangements that were in place.