Cumberland 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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. This the first assessment since a new provider has taken over the service. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 83 (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 always made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. The registered manager completed a thorough in-depth assessment of people’s needs before they started using the service. People were placed at the centre of this assessment along with their relatives, advocates and other health professionals involved in their care. Care was then planned in a person-centred way with the full involvement of people to plan their future and goals, focusing on their wants, needs and independence, whilst supporting them to manage risks safely. People’s communication needs were explored and understood to enable staff to engage effectively with people. Assessments and care plans were regularly reviewed with people and their key workers so that they remained up to date and person centred.

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’s nutrition and hydration needs were fully assessed and where needed referrals were made to the appropriate health professionals such as speech and language therapist (SALT) or GP. Where needed people were supported with specialist diets and had their weight and fluid intake recorded when indicated as part of a treatment program. People were involved in planning meals at the service and some people enjoyed shopping with staff for food and helping with meal preparation. One person said, “The chef here is nice, people help to cook, I peel the potatoes and carrots. The staff ask what our favourite foods are and make it for us.”

The provider always worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once. The registered manager had developed good systems with other health professionals to ensure people had coordinated and consistent care when transitioning from one service to another. Information was shared seamlessly between staff and other services to minimise impact on people when transitioning to and from the service. The registered manager worked proactively with people, relatives and other health professionals to ensure any follow up between health professionals was accessed. One health professional told us, “The manager has been outstanding in our opinion in her communication with us, they have kept us informed at every stage of this service user’s journey, and there has been a sense of real collaborative working to ensure the best outcome for this service user.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing 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. As soon as people arrived at the service the registered manager supported people to access health care to support and encourage them to live healthier lives. People were registered with the local GP and had access to a community dentist for assessment and treatment, and where needed access to a chiropodist. The registered manager had made good links with free services provided by the NHS to help support people with smoking cessation and weight management. One person had been empowered to stop smoking after being a smoker for a number of years which had significantly impacted their physical health. People were supported to access routine screening and appointments with other healthcare professionals. One person said, “I recently got a pair of new reading glasses, the optician came to do a check, so does the dentist they come about twice a year, the chiropodist comes once a month to get my feet done.”

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 both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Staff monitored and evaluated outcomes related to people’s health and quality of life, including those linked to their aspirations and skill development, with a view to improving these outcomes when possible. People told us they had key workers who worked closely with them and invited them to monthly meetings to discuss all aspect of their care and wellbeing and supported them to make future plans and set goals to achieve. This included supporting their independence, health and social activities.

Clinical monitoring tools were in place where needed for example to monitor, weight, food and fluids and blood glucose levels.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. The registered manager empowered people to make choices about their care and treatment. Where people made unwise decisions the registered manager and staff supported them within the legal frameworks to do this as safely as possible. One professional told us, “Staff have always included our service user with any decisions about their care and support empowering them to be as independent as possible within their capabilities.”

People’s care plans detailed their ability to consent to treatment and make decisions as independently as possible. Where appropriate relatives, advocates and other health professionals were involved in helping people make decisions. A health professional told us, “Staff have made appropriate referrals to independent bodies to support the service user in decision making.”