New Oakwood Lodge, Phoenix Futures Derbyshire Residential Service

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 was the first assessment of the service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people’s needs were met through effective planning and delivery.

The service collaborated well with external partners and people when planning and delivering care, treatment and future support. Staff completed the appropriate assessments and demonstrated a person-centred approach which ensured they responded quickly and effectively to the needs of people. Accurate information was readily available and given to people and their loved ones whenever needed or requested. Training and processes were in place that enabled staff to identify possible bias, discrimination and barriers to treatment and how to act on this to support people appropriately. People’s loved ones were encouraged and supported to be involved in all aspects of their care and treatment.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Responsive.

People were at the centre of their care and treatment planning, ensuring plans reflected individual needs, preferences and ambitions. Care plans were holistic, person-centred, and recovery focused. People and where appropriate their families or carers actively contributed to shaping care plans and reviews, and staff ensured people fully understood their treatment options and associated risks.

Staff empowered people to make informed decisions about their care, and balanced safety with independence and personal growth. The therapeutic community recovery model provided a confidential, highly structured and safe environment within the community. This made transitional periods when leaving treatment a much smoother process.

Managers and staff put people at the heart of everything they did, and people’s goals, wishes and aspirations drove the service. Service managers had a can-do attitude to meet the needs of the people they supported. Feedback from people confirmed care was person-centred and unique to each person, and how the service was exceptional in the way they tailored people’s support. Staff and people gave examples of how the service tailored care around individual needs and preferences.

Staff demonstrated a consistently person-centred approach, ensuring people were treated as individuals. They encouraged people to explore interests, build confidence, and maintain family and community connections. Staff actively supported people to make decisions wherever possible and provided information in accessible formats, including easy-read materials, dyslexia overlay technology and advocacy support. Effective oversight and auditing of people involvement ensured care remained meaningful, personalised, and empowering.

Staff demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the diverse health and care needs of the people they supported and strived to deliver care that was joined up and flexible. Collaborative working was effective across the service’s wider teams and with external partners such as, criminal justice services, and local housing providers to ensure care, and support was consistent and met people’s needs and expectations. When people returned to their communities, staff ensured the process was as smooth as possible with effective support in place. External partners were invited to attend care reviews and were involved in the moving on process. This ensured ongoing and collaborative care and
maintained consistency which promoted and delivered better outcomes for people leaving the service.

Staff helped people to access educational and vocational opportunities, such as training courses within their local communities, and supported skill development to enhance independence. For example, one person had been supported to gain work experience in a local charity shop further building on their experience of the retail sector. Staff supported people to practise their faith and maintain cultural or religious practices meaningful to them. They
planned visits and community activities flexibly whilst ensuring care remained safe and consistent. Assessments ensured people received the right care, treatment and support for their current and future needs.

By working closely and collaboratively with people, their relatives and external partners, staff provided effective joined-up care that met people’s needs, preferences and expectations.

People received information in a timely and accessible manner. Staff adapted materials to meet individual communication needs, such as leaflets in different formats, for example, dyslexia overlays. One person told us “If I want or need any information, I just ask the staff. They always get me what I’ve asked for and help me if there’s anything I don’t quite understand.” Information was shared during community meetings and displayed in communal areas. Staff maintained consistent communication with carers, families, and external agencies, ensuring people’s care and support remained transparent, joined up, and responsive to their needs and recovery goals.

The services website used an assistive technology toolbar, which allowed users to customise their online experience to meet their individual communication needs. The assistive toolbar enabled visitors to the website to change font size and colour and also had an open dyslexic function. Open dyslexic was a font designed to support visitors to the site with common symptoms of dyslexia.

Clear policies and processes ensured the service managed people’s information confidentially and securely by adhering to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Staff actively identified, recorded and reviewed people’s consent to share information preferences regularly and in line with the Accessible Information Standard.

People who used the service were active partners in their care and were empowered to have a voice. Staff enabled people to give feedback on the service they received, for example, daily community meetings which included a needs and feeling section. Community meetings provided a regular forum for people to express their views, suggest improvements, and influence the shaping of the service. People had structured 1-1 time with their key worker and
feedback forms were available throughout the service which could be completed by scanning a quick response code (QR), and also in writing.

People, and their families felt confident to raise concerns or share feedback, and staff supported them to do so. People knew how to complain, and the service displayed clear information on how to access support internally and externally. One person told us, “I know I can go to staff with anything that’s bothering me. They give great support, and always keep you updated on what’s being done.”

The service developed and provided a ‘welcome house brochure’ which was given to new people on admission and also facilitated a welcome house group. People who were new to the service attended and received support and information about the programme which aimed to minimise anxieties. The meeting also facilitated a buddy system were an existing person provided support, fostered inclusivity and belonging, and aided with orientation and
programme navigation.

The service had a website where previous people who had used the service left positive reviews about their treatment and recovery journey. Managers regularly reviewed feedback and fed this back to staff. The service actively supported families and carers and signposted them to both internal and external resources for support. For example, the organisations mutual aid support resource “Flames.”

Staff consistently applied the complaints process effectively, shared investigation outcomes with the wider team, and ensured lessons learned were embedded in practice to continuously improve people’s experiences. By involving people in feedback and communicating actions taken, the service built and maintained trust. This ensured people, their relatives, friends or carers and visitors to the service felt valued, listened to, respected and included.

Staff ensured people accessed care, treatment and support in a way that worked for them and met their individual needs. By using effective communication and assessment processes, they identified and removed barriers to care, particularly for people with complex needs, enduring mental illness, or protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Upon completion of the appropriate assessments, people were supported with any identified needs. The service
ensured assistive technology aids were available and provided following an assessment and when deemed necessary. Staff made reasonable adjustments for people, an example of this was where someone had joined the programme with a severe visual impairment. After consultation with external partners staff arranged for navigation points to be fitted throughout the service which enabled the person to move safely throughout the environment, and to fully engage in all the programme had to offer. The person had previously been refused admission and support on numerous occasions by similar services due to their sight impairment.

There was adequate medical cover day, and night, and the service could access support from mental health services, via 111, A&E referrals for mental health assessment and GPs. Staff also supported people to access other medical support. Examples of these included staff helping people to access urology appointments and support for incontinence issues due to prolonged Ketamine use. Staff ensured people had access to “move on” care, for example, mutual aid groups. The service was easy to access. Staff planned and managed moving on well and had
alternative pathways for people whose needs it could not meet. For example, if a person required enhanced detoxification they referred people onto these services.

A doctor could attend quickly in emergencies, and the service location allowed timely transfer to the local acute hospital if necessary. Staff worked collaboratively regarding move on with external partners. This ensured the appropriate ongoing care and support was in place, with the goal being better outcomes for people who used the service.

Staff captured the views of people who may be at risk of experiencing inequalities or poorer outcomes and used this feedback to enhance person-centred care and support. People felt empowered to share their views and were encouraged and supported to do so. The service promoted a culture where people’s voices were heard, their views and opinions respected, and feedback acted on. Equality data was monitored across protected characteristics, helping staff to identify and address any inequalities in care, treatment, or outcomes. This included attention to communication needs, cultural and spiritual preferences, and the diversity of people’s backgrounds.

Staff effectively supported people with equality and human rights and adhered to legislation. Reasonable adjustments were made to meet each person’s social, cultural and religious needs, such as working with independent communication support services. Religious and cultural leaders were welcomed to visit the service to spend time with people if this was requested or the need identified.

All staff completed mandatory equality, diversity and inclusion training, which ensured any potential inequalities or discrimination were recognised and addressed. The service had an equality, diversity and inclusion lead, and staff were alert to the risks of unfair treatment and where needed took the necessary actions to address any disparities in equity in people’s experiences and outcomes. The service worked with groups that were difficult to engage or
underrepresented in treatment, for example, specific ethnic communities and LGBT+ communities and groups.

There were effective policies in place which ensured the service adhered to equality, diversity and inclusion principles. The policies aimed to safeguard against disadvantage for vulnerable people or those with protected characteristics and to promote fairness across all aspects of care within the organisation and to ensure the service was accessible. This approach ensured care was inclusive, responsive and effectively delivered to meet the individual needs of people most at risk of potentially experiencing poorer outcomes.

Staff supported people and their families to plan ahead and make important and informed decisions about their ongoing recovery, care, treatment and support. Where appropriate relatives took part in discussions and decisions that reflected people’s wishes, needs and preferences. One person told us “When I leave here, I know I’ll be okay. The staff plan so much with you, it stops you worrying so much and my family have been involved every step of the
way. They’ve helped me to find hope again.”

Staff provided holistic support to people preparing for move on, addressing their individual needs to ensure a smooth transition. They supported people to access appropriate housing, leisure activities and interests as well as remaining abstinence upon completion of the programme and provided essential information and resources to support this. The organisation also had their own supported living properties, which ensured people who had moved on could continue their recovery journey in a supportive and safe environment which fostered the
continued building of independence.

Staff worked with families when people returned home to rejoin their communities. People we spoke with told us how they had helped them plan for the future stating they wouldn’t be where they are now without the ongoing help, support and guidance. One family member told us “They have included me in everything: I’ve even been to some of the groups. The planning for what happens after is amazing, as a family, we owe them everything!”

Staff collaborated effectively across their teams and with external partners when formulating plans for people with complex needs. This promoted consistency, continuity and coordinated support across different care and support settings. Staff ensured people received compassionate and effective care, which was focused on their long-term wellbeing, future plans and successful recovery outcomes.