Copper Beeches

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

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 were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

A relative told us the service used a book to gather information about their loved one to get to know them better. A staff member said, “You need to get time to know people in order to write a care plan.”

We observed staff knew people well, they engaged in conversations with people about their pasts which people enjoyed. We observed people’s rooms had personalised items in them which staff spoke to them about. A relative shared in a relative meeting, ‘It is clear the care team engage well with [person’s name], as they are aware of aspects of [their] life that have not been shared by family, demonstrating that they take the time to talk with them.’

Care plans were detailed and personalised. They included people’s life histories and any preferences in relation to their care. Guidance was clearly recorded for staff on how to provide care in line with what mattered to the person, such as preferred routines, food and drink choices and how to support emotional wellbeing. This supported all staff to be able to provide continuity of person-centred care.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs. They described how they tailored care to individuals. A staff member told us, “I give them time to do what they want… I give choices to make them feel at home.” Another said, “Care is based on people’s pattern and what is normal for them."

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.

The provider worked to ensure people received coordinated care that met their needs across services and over time. Staff worked with other professionals, including GPs, dieticians, SaLT, tissue viability nurses, podiatrists and opticians to ensure people’s health needs were met. Staff told us they supported people to enable them to attend appointments. Systems were in place to share information between staff and external professionals. Daily handovers, flash meetings and care plan systems supported staff to stay up to date with people’s needs and changes in their condition. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated, and staff used electronic systems to monitor areas such as nutrition, hydration and pressure care. The provider had also focused on recruiting staff to reduce external agency use to provide better continuity of care for people.

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

Staff understood how to provide information to people in ways that were clear and meaningful for them. They demonstrated good verbal communication skills, explaining people’s care interventions to them during interactions so that people understood what was happening. We observed staff using non-verbal communication skills to support people such as gentle reassuring touch and physical guidance to comfort and orientate people.

Relatives told us they were involved in their loved one’s care and kept up to date. Information about care and activities was available around the service, including visual displays and large print materials to support better access for people and promote understanding. For example, the service used picture menus to support people to make daily choice about which meals they wanted.

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.

Staff told us they spoke to people regularly and encouraged feedback. Daily interactions, activities and one-to-one conversations supported people to express their views. We observed staff responded to and respected people’s needs and preferences during our visit.

Relatives and visitors were involved in discussions about care and were supported to contribute to decisions where appropriate. The service had conducted recent meetings to inform people and those important to them about updates around the service and to seek feedback. A relative said, “They do deal with things quickly.”

The service had reviewed and responded to any complaints in line with their procedures. A relative told us about a complaint they had raised and said, “Staff were really helpful.”

Feedback was sought from visitors during the signing out process for the service. Recent reviews from this showed a high number of positive responses. Where there had been some scores with room for improvement senior management had considered this to improve the service. The provider had not completed any recent surveys but told us they planned to do this in the future.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. A relative told us, “[Person’s name] has everything [they] need.”

Staff supported people to access healthcare services, including arranging appointments and responding to changes in health needs. Staff told us that nurses would escalate concerns promptly and contact appropriate services.

Systems were in place to identify and respond to individual needs, including monitoring tools for people’s daily needs and health conditions.

Staff understood the importance of meeting people’s needs without discrimination and had received equality and diversity training. Staff told us, “We are all treated equally as are the [people who use the service]."

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.

People’s care was tailored to meet their individual needs and preferences, including cultural and personal interests. Where people required adaptations to support them to meet needs around nutrition the service made the necessary adaptations, documented this in people’s care records and staff followed these in practice.

Where people required aids to support them to communicate or mobilise these were in place. We observed people who required spectacles to support their vision had access to these during our site visit and staff supported people in line with their moving and handling plans to mobilise safely using equipment. A relative noted in feedback, “I love the fact it's so inclusive regardless of mobility.”

We observed staff were able to respond to and engage people in a way that positively affected their mood. Staff described how they adapted their approach to providing support where people were hesitant to accept care or were anxious. A health and social care professional also gave an example of this. They told us,

“A person refused treatment at Copper Beeches, although they required treatment. The carer explained that the person has dementia and advised me how that has an impact on behaviour. The carer sat with the person, explained why I was there and what the treatment would consist of, gained consent to treat and gave reassurance during treatment to both the person and me. I found that the person responded positively, treatment was given, and the person thanked me afterwards."

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.

Staff told us these preferences were discussed with people and their families and recorded in advance care plans.

Where appropriate, care plans recorded people’s wishes for care at the end of their life and how staff should support them to maintain comfort and dignity. Care plans included information about preferences such as last rights and decisions such as DNACPR (do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and escalation plans.

Staff had received training to provide end of life care for people. Staff discussed people’s care needs who were deemed to be palliative care during clinical governance meetings, and stated this needed daily consideration. People had anticipatory medicines in place where appropriate.