The Maples

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 theydecided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People were at the centre of the care and support they received. The provider and staff recognised the importance of knowing people well to deliver care that was bespoke to the person. People’s needs were continually assessed to ensure care and support met their needs. This was particularly evident on the rehabilitation household where people’s enablement journeys were reviewed to ensure people received the support they needed to regain the skills they may have lost during their stay in hospital. The physiotherapist and staff team worked in partnership with people and those important to them to review and reset their goals and programmes of care to enable people to reach their full potential.

Care plans were person centred and contained detailed, specific information on people’s needs, wishes and preferences as well as their assessed needs. This included where people preferred staff of a certain gender to provide their personal care. Biographies were created to enable staff to have access to critical information about people and information about their life.People made positive comments about the staff and living in the home. One person told us, “I like that I am able to go to church on Sunday with my relative.” Another person said, “One of the things that makes this place worthwhile is the staff as they are constantly happy, cheerful and bright. The facilities are five star. I enjoy my Monday walk.”

The home reviewed people’s needs as part of ‘the person of the day’ initiative. This involved a full review of the person’s care plan. We observed people were involved in this process. However, the sampled records did not always evidence contact with individuals important to them. This feedback was shared with the management team who were receptive to this and included this as part of their learning to improve the recording within people’s care records. Although records of contact may not have always been recorded, relatives confirmed their involvement. A relative told us, “The staff keep me informed of how [person] is doing and if there are any issues they are on the phone calling me. I feel involved in their care, and I know they have a care plan in place which I can access at any time.”

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 and those important to them told us they felt they were receiving the care and support they needed from a staff team who knew their needs well. A person said, “The staff know how much I want to be able to go home, and they are supporting me to do just that.” We observed the staff team worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. For example, staff worked with social workers, occupational therapists and GPs to ensure people using the rehabilitation household were able to go home safely and continue to receive the care they needed.

The provider and management team ensured people received continuity of care by maintaining a consistent staffing team. Staff and managers ensured, where needed, timely and appropriate referrals were made to health and social care professions. Care records evidenced people’s diverse needs and differences, and staff were appropriately trained to meet all areas of people’s needs. Staff ensured people maintained links with community services which were important to them.

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

People and those important to them were provided with information about the home. This included a handbook called ‘Life at the Maples’ so they knew what they could expect from the home. It included the provider’s vision and philosophy of care amongst other key information such as how laundry would be managed. People and those important to them were encouraged to visit the home and have guided tours and time with people, staff and leaders to answer questions. The provider told us there was a person who is an ambassador for the home and supports people to settle into the home when they first move in, and answers any of their questions.

The registered manager told us how they had moved offices to make them ‘more visible and accessible’ to people and those important to them.

People’s communication needs were assessed prior to moving into the home and where needed information was provided in a format which met those needs. For example, we saw a care plan had been created in a person’s first language which was not English. The registered manager knew about and met the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). We saw people had access to talking books and information in easy read or large print.

The provider also told us they provided sign language classes, to both staff and people to enable them to learn new communication skills.
 

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.

Systems were in place to enable people, those important to them, visitors and professionals to provide feedback about the home. This included formal processes such as a complaints procedure, face to face meetings, and surveys. People and those important to them were encouraged to share feedback at any time.

Information shared with people, and those important to them, included information and key contact details for people to be able to share feedback both at a local and provider level. It also included the contact details where concerns could be escalated to if people or those important to them remained dissatisfied. A person said, “I have no need to complain but if I did, I would go straight to the top to the manager I know they would sort it.” A relative told us, “I have raised some small things and both the staff, and the manager listened and responded quickly to get things sorted.” We saw many compliments cards were displayed around the home thanking staff for their support and the ‘amazing care’ provided.

The provider and management team were receptive to any feedback, including concerns, and saw it as an opportunity to develop and improve the home. As part of the auditing process concerns and complaints were reviewed and analysed to ensure lessons could be learnt and improvements made where needed.

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

The home was purpose built in accordance with best practice which meant it was accessible to all people to enable them to move freely around the home. We received some feedback on our first day of the inspection from someone who found it difficult to access the garden with their relative who used a wheelchair. This was due to a raised edge by the patio doors. We shared this feedback with the provider and management team who were receptive to this feedback and took immediate action and ensured a ramp was available to use.

People’s rooms had natural light and were spacious to allow for equipment to be used when needed. People had access to a buzzer to summon staff support. The corridors were fitted with handrails to aid people’s mobility. There was signage to support people to recognise the purpose of each room. People had a sign on their bedroom door and pictures of relevance to assist people to find their own room and increase their orientation on the household they may live.

On the rehabilitation unit there was a staff station which was open and accessible for people to access support and for relatives to have access to staff for information. People on this household had access to equipment which promoted their independence. Although people on this household did not have a communal area to use, we observed people using the ‘bistro area’and other households on the ground floor. The ‘Bistro area’ had facilities for people and those important to them to make drinks, and space for people to sit and enjoy the views of the garden and to watch the ducks. This area was also used for group gatherings and activities.

Staff confirmed to us they had access to an on-call number which they could use to contact a member of the management team. Staff confirmed they were aware of the procedures to follow in an emergency and were complimentary of the management team’s responsiveness when on-call.

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.

Information provided to people outlined the provider’s human rights approach to the care and support they received. The aim being to ensure care was tailored to individual needs. Care plans showed how people’s protected characteristics had been considered and if any reasonable adjustments were needed to support their equity in experience. Personalisation was added to individual’s mobility equipment where required, to ensure they were able to clearly see and define what was theirs. Culturally appropriate food was available to meet the religious needs of people from diverse backgrounds.

Staff rotas showed there was evidence of a good skill mix on each unit, with staff trained specifically in areas required to meet people’s assessed needs. Efforts were made for staff to support people where they shared the same language to aid communication.

Relatives told us their family members had access to health care when needed and did not experience inequalities. There were multi-disciplinary records in place and regular reviews of people’s care plans and risk assessments to ensure they were a true reflection of people’s current and changing needs.

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 provider strived to provide person centred end of life care based on best practice. The provider followed national guidelines and had sourced enhanced training, which was being delivered to some staff, with a plan to train the entire team. This included training to support people’s spiritual journey at the end stages of their life, and the Six Steps to Success Programme. This is an evidence-based programme designed to help care homes improve end-of-life care by training staff across six stages from early discussions and care planning to care after death and fostering confidence, advance care planning, improved communication, and measurable quality indicators in line with palliative care philosophy. All staff as part of their induction completed dying and bereavement training.

People’s needs were considered and feedback sought as part of their end-of-life plans and these took account of people’s wishes, any advanced care decisions and what mattered to them at the end of life. Where people where not ready to discuss this subject, this was respected and kept under review. The provider used butterfly symbols on people’s bedroom doors as a gentle reminder to people, and visitors the person in that room was receiving palliative care. A poster was displayed in the reception area to explain the meaning of these symbols. It also reminded everyone to be calm, respectful and compassionate when passing the room.

The registered manager told us how they would work closely with members of the local faith community to ensure visits by such people were planned accordingly.