Blandford 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.

The last rating for this key question was good. 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 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 assessed people’s needs and choices so that care could be planned in a person-centred way. People told us they had been involved in planning their care and support. One person told us, “I talk about my care with staff, and I can say if I am not happy with anything.” Assessments and care plans showed people had made choices. There were personalised care plans which outlined how people could remain independent and develop their skills. Care plans and assessments were regularly reviewed and updated.

The provider ensured people received evidence-based care and support. Staff undertook a range of training. One of the management team was a qualified trainer which helped support staff learning. The provider organised for learning opportunities in team and individual staff meetings to discuss specific topics about good practice. Staff were supported to undertake qualifications in health and social care.

Staff told us training was useful. One member of staff said, “The training has helped me to understand about people’s needs.” Staff explained they had undertaken training about mental health, dementia and supporting people with a learning disability. Managers told us they had discussions with staff about legislation and best practice to help enhance their knowledge.

The provider had effective systems for staff to communicate with each other. Staff discussed handovers of information, kept clear records to show what had happened each day and had regular meetings with each other and managers to discuss the service. Staff meetings included discussions about best practice and learning when things went wrong.

Staff communicated effectively with external professionals, sharing information and asking for their advice when needed.

The provider supported people with their mental and physical healthcare needs. They had assessed these and worked with healthcare professionals to monitor people’s health and wellbeing. People had a good understanding of their health needs. They were consulted and understood the care and support plans in place. People were supported to make healthy choices and to stay active. People had regular consultations with healthcare professionals.

Staff monitored people’s needs and outcomes. Staff kept records of care provided, monitored people’s health and wellbeing and organised for regular reviews which involved the person. People had a keyworker, a named member of staff, who helped them plan goals and discuss how their care was going. Staff supported people to try new things and monitored how successful this was so they could help people plan for the future. The provider had an online system for care planning and monitoring.

The provider ensured people consented to their care and treatment. Everyone had the mental capacity to make decisions about their everyday lives, their accommodation and care. The provider liaised with external professionals and people’s representatives to discuss complex decisions to make sure these were made in people’s best interests. People told us they were offered choices and had consented to their care. We saw staff explaining about interventions, including supporting people with medicines. They allowed people to make decisions about this and did not provide any care without people’s consent.