White Rock Nursing Home Limited

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 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.

There was evidence of communication being shared amongst staff, including handovers at the start of each shift. This ensured changes to people’s needs were acted upon. One staff member said, “At the start of every shift, we discuss everyone. For example, I will hand that over that it’s hot today, and on [care planning system] there is a message for staff to encourage fluids for people.”

Although care plans did not consistently include information around people’s backgrounds and life stories, there was enough information recorded about people’s support needs to ensure staff supported people safely. Additionally, staff we spoke with knew people and their choices and preferences for how they wanted staff to support them, and we observed staff talking with people about their interests including their life stories. One person’s relative said, “My [relative] was and still is keen on boats and the staff try to talk to [name] about those interests.”

One staff member said, “[Name] can become frightened. We give lots of reassurance and l explain who we are. Every time we go to [name’s] room, [name] doesn’t know who we are because [they] don’t remember us.” The staff member described how on occasion, the person would become angry with staff. The staff member said, “We are trying to get more information about [name’s] background from the family, so that we have more topics to speak with [name] about.”

Some people experienced periods of anxiety or distress. Staff told us that in the main, they knew about any triggers, and knew how to try and de-escalate situations. We saw this information was also recorded within people’s care plans.

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 with people and healthcare partners to establish continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. People told us they had access to health and social care professionals when required. Staff told us and we observed how they referred people for GP review. Staff could contact the GP surgery or the CHAT team at any time if they had any concerns or questions, alongside weekly on-site visits. We saw records of when people were reviewed by health professionals. One health professional told us, “We have been working with [registered manager] and the team for the last 2 years. During this time, we have found them to be incredibly responsive at identifying any sign of a deteriorating situation. When a new situation arises, we take the approach of working together to determine the best treatment plan. We find the team at White Rock really understand their residents, which is incredibly useful in determining the best treatment plan.”

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

People’s communication needs were assessed and when people experienced difficulties with hearing or speech for example, the care plans we looked at were informative and clear. Plans Informed staff to speak slowly and clearly and to make eye contact with people. We observed this in practise and saw staff crouching down to people’s eye level when speaking to them.

There was a notice board in the entrance hall and this had information about upcoming activities and how the service engaged with the local community. The provider told us they were planning to start writing a newsletter to keep people and their relatives provided with up-to-date information.

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.

Resident and relative meetings took place, and we saw minutes of these. The service also helped to support and run a relative’s group which had been instigated by a relative. The registered manager said, “[Name] told me that it’s a lonely place when your partner has dementia and friends don’t really understand. [Name] asked if it was OK to set this up and they have it off site; one of us joins them. There are 3 relatives of people who used to live here who still join the meeting. They find it so helpful and so I make myself available to join and support them.”

The service was being refurbished in stages. The provider showed us the plans for the designs for some of the communal areas. They told us that where possible, they asked people for their input, such as around colour schemes for walls and furniture.

The service also carried out surveys and the registered manager told us they were about to send out surveys to relatives and people for this year. One person’s relative said, “They are good at keeping me informed about everything really.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People with protected characteristics were supported to have equitable access to services. For example, people with a disability which impacted their ability to leave the home were supported to access health services to meet their individual needs.

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.

Staff received training in equity, diversity and human rights to help them understand equality and address discrimination.

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 had documented people’s wishes around their future care, including their preferences for where they wanted to be at the end of their lives. Staff had received training specific to end of life care and symptom control. Nurses told us they had good links with the local hospice for any additional training needs or advice.

We saw records of how the service reflected on end-of-life care provision; this included staff reflections on anything that went well and anything that could have gone better. The deputy manager was the end-of-life champion and told us they wanted to ensure they people received the best end of life care possible. One health professional said, “One person died a few weeks ago, and the staff had a follow up meeting to discuss if they did it right, and is there anything they and us, could have done differently. This home wants to continually improve.”