Skirbeck Lodge

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated as good, this meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, well-being and communication needs with them.

Before people moved into the home a full assessment of their needs was completed to ensure these could be met at Skirbeck Lodge. People told us they were involved in decisions and discussions about their care needs. Each person was updated and involved in decisions around changes to their care, including their existing conditions and restrictions. People’s needs were continually reviewed by the staff team and external professionals, with changes being made to support plans and risk assessments accordingly. People were updated and informed when their care and support plan was updated as their needs changed involving them in any decisions made.

There was good oversight and support in place. The staff team provided weekly updates though virtual ward rounds with the LPFT to monitor people’s well-being and to share any concerns identified.

Through joint working with external teams and adhering to existing legal conditions 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.

People chose what they wanted to eat, they were supported and encouraged to plan healthy meal options and to cook their meals. Staff recorded people’s food and drink intake to ensure that people had eaten that day and were remaining well. People could eat at any time they wanted, and staff would encourage people to eat together as a group so they can socialise with each other.

Staff also understood some people preferred to eat in quieter areas of the home and recognised their right to do this.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Skirbeck Lodge is a service that is part of a 24-month step to assess pilot. They work in collaboration with The Ministry of Justice, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust, The Integrated Care Board and the community forensic team. Through joint working it was agreed that the people living within Skirbeck were not required to reside within a hospital and would benefit greatly from a less restrictive environment allowing them to integrate back into the community.

The provider remained in regular contact with external partners, providing weekly updates through virtual ward rounds where people’s health, well-being and achievements would be discussed. Feedback from external teams told us how they worked together as a team to ensure people received the care and support, they needed in a homely environment. One staff member described this by saying, “We are like a family.”

A social worker described the care being provided and outcome for one person to be exemplary despite only being with the service a short space of time. The support being provided, in collaboration with other professionals, had achieved some positive outcomes by reducing the restrictions in place.

The provider supported people to manage their health and well being to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People told us the food was very good, and they had choice and with support, could cook their own meals. People were supported to create their own shopping lists which they would then use to purchase items for themselves in the community in accordance with their chosen menus. For people this was the first time they could do this. Staff would support with meal ideas and would promote healthy balanced options. People were provided with a large, well-equipped kitchen. Each person had their own named cabinet and fridge section and labelled food items to ensure they were aware or expiry dates.

People told us, “The food is very good here. There are loads of options and we can eat what we like.”

Staff supported people to book and attend medical appointments. Staff were proud to share that one of the people has managed to attend all their medical appointments with the emotional support and reassurances provided by staff since moving into Skirbeck Lodge. Prior to moving into the home, the person neglected their own health due to anxieties and fears of being sectioned within a hospital.

Staff ensured that people were provided with all relevant information prior and after to attending external environments in formats and ways that they preferred and understood, enabling them to make informed good decisions about their health.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. By working with external teams, they ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Weekly ward round meetings were held remotely where people and staff could share challenges as well as achievements. This information would be reviewed with care plans and risk assessments amended accordingly.

People were encouraged to maintain independence in areas such as personal care, following hobbies and interests and social engagement. For example, one person took pride in their appearance with them having an interest in clothing and accessories. Staff would help them pursuit this interest by supporting them to shop for clothing items.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People were informed of any legally required restrictions due to the conditions of their placement. Staff took time to discuss and to work with each person on an individual basis to ensure that their legal conditions were understood in line with living in the local community. With the support of staff and keeping in line with their conditions, people were involved and supported to make choices and decisions for themselves on how they would like to live.

People’s rights were protected because staff worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff received training on the MCA and DoLS an had a good understanding of how to apply the principles in practice. Where people had been unable to make decisions for themselves, appropriate legal authorisations were in place to deprive a person of their liberty. Any conditions relating to those authorisations were being met.