Bowden Lodge

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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. Care and support was highly person-centred. We observed members of staff were caring and consistently interacted positively with people. We saw evidence in people’s care plans regarding their life history. The service was creative in engaging and empowering people to be involved in their care, staff were very knowledgeable about individuals’ needs and choices and consistently respected them. Relatives were positive about the care provided, one said, “They keep me updated, we know [name] is properly looked after.”

People were empowered to make decisions; helping them acquire skills and knowledge so they could be able to move to live more independently. People spoke highly of this, and many mentioned they were supported in a range of things including self-medicating and cooking. One person said, “I am supported to cook my own meal, it promotes independence.”

Health care professionals spoke highly of the person-centred care provided. One said, “People are comfortable in the environment at Bowden Lodge and are well cared for; both emotionally and physically.”Another said, “Staff are extremely proactive in safety planning and managing people’s needs and people are being looked after very well.” They explained how the staff had been able to navigate challenging family dynamics which had led to incredibly positive outcomes for a person, promoting their well-being and independence.

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’s needs were clearly identified in their care plans and there were good links with health and care services. There was a detailed information including a hospital passport, to be able to use to ensure continuity of care, for example, if people were admitted to hospital.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. We saw information displayed appropriately in the service and, where appropriate, people were involved in developing their care and support and activities. Where peoples first language is not English, services were in place to support them to be able to communicate with staff. The registered manager told us, “We have access to a 24-hour interpreter line to ensure that translation services are available to all staff and individuals in the event of needing to communicate without waiting for planned appointments.”

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.

People knew who to contact if they needed to make raise any concerns and they all felt they were listened to, and any issues were acted on. There was regular ‘Your voice’ in house meetings, which were well attended by people, this gave opportunity to raise issues, discuss ideas and make plans. There was also a regular regional meeting held, these were rotated around different homes in the group. People were given the opportunity to attend these. This enabled people to meet other service users in different homes, to share ideas and learn lessons. These meeting were also well attended, minutes showed people’s views were heard, discussed and any good practice shared.

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service worked in partnership with other local health and care services to ensure people’s needs were met.

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 told us they received the correct care and support.

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.

We saw care plans reflected people's wishes and clearly individuals had been involved in discussions. People's preferences were documented. We saw people had been supported when a person who was resident in the home had recently passed away. The staff had set up a small memorial with photographs in the quiet lounge for people, so they could sit quietly and reflect and remember the person if they wished.