Cumbria Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care,wellbeingand communication needs with them.

Building on time spent with people during transition, staff were able togetaholisticassessment of people’s needs,prior tothemcoming into the service.

Staff developed personalisedcare and support plansusing their electronic care planning system. Thisincluded detailed information aboutpeople’sindividual needs relating to their physical, psychological,psychosocialand emotional wellbeing.

Staff developedindividualcare and support plansconsideringlife history, routines and preferences,risks,hobbies and interests,behavioural triggers, management and support of distress and effective de-escalation techniquesthrough positive support.

There was evidence of involvement of people, their families and health and social care partners in gathering information to form the assessment.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

Staff worked with health and social care partners to ensure their guidance and recommendations were incorporated into people’s care, treatment and support plans.

People were supported with their eating and drinking needs in ways that promoted wellbeing, choice, life skills and social interaction. Staff supported people with meal planning and associated budgeting, shopping, food preparation and offering guidance and support on healthier food options.

The provider worked well with other teams and services to support people. Staff shared key information between services using tools such as information passports, which helped ensure people received consistent support and reduced distress when they attended unfamiliar settings.

Staff worked with a range of health and specialist professionals and generally listened to and acted on advice. Occasionally, staff over‑estimated people’s abilities which led to some inconsistency in outcomes. The registered manager had developed more thorough pre-admission procedures to better understand people’s skills, attributes and ambitions.

We heard positive examples of staff acting on professional advice and guidance. Staff received specialist guidance to improve a person’s stoma care and nutritional support. Also, staff worked effectively with colleagues to coordinate healthcare so that several needs could be addressed during a single dental appointment.

Staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing.

Staff supported people to live healthier lives by understanding what was important to them, supporting decision making and introducing options for people to improve their quality of life.

People accessed healthcare services and complimentary therapies to support their wellbeing. Healthcare professionals also attended their home to meet with them. This flexibility improved outcomes for people who may otherwise have declined to attend services.

Staff supported people to engage in outside interests, hobbies and activities to enhance their quality of life. Many people were involved in exercise related hobbies which they enjoyed.

Some family members expressed a desire for their loved ones to be encouraged to achieve more and reach their full potential. Staff recognised this and worked to balance positive challenge with people’s safety and wellbeing.

Staff supported a person through dietary and lifestyle support to help improve their health and wellbeing in preparation for planned treatment.

We heard positive feedback from a healthcare professional about how staff worked proactively to support people to live healthier lives. They described how staff had provided useful information regarding blood glucose readings, nutritional intake and dietary support which had been helpful in minimising the associated complications which may arise.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it.

They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met the expectations of people themselves alongside key clinical, behavioural and social measures.

Staff developed care and support plans which detailed personal goals and objectives of people using the service and there was evidence of regular review.

There were some nicely recorded examples of person centred 1-1 support which provided meaningful insight into people’s experiences in engagement, activities and social interaction.

Family members were informed, involved and described communications from staff as “very good at keeping me updated.” This provided reassurance that people were being supported and encouraged to live their best lives. One said, “He’s never looked back. He’s doing a lot more, learning a lot more and getting involved in things he never did.”

Another family member commented how their son was unable to get out and do the things he previously enjoyed due to his unpredictable behaviours. However, with staff having taken time to understand this, he is better supported to enjoy those things which give him pleasure.

One healthcare professional reported, “Progress has been nothing short of brilliant – they’re settled, in their own home and in their own town.”

An advocate reported how staff had, “Given them the life they want, met their aspirations to maintain their independence and make decisions for themselves."

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. This was further reinforced with supportive documentation.

People had their personal choices, preferences, wishes and decisions recorded in their care and support plans. Daily entries within the care plan recorded staff seeking consent prior to any care, support and treatment interventions.

Family members told us how their relatives were making their own decisions and choices.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) which provides a legal framework to protect and empower people who may lack the capacity to make their own decisions. Staff explained how they respected people’s decisions, supported people to make their own decisions and always acted in their best interests.