St Neots Neurological Centre

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

This means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question as Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to Good.

This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Responsive.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment. They listened to the patient and their views and wishes were included in care planning, and where patients were unable to communicate their views, their family were involved in care and discharge planning.

Staff reflected patients’ physical, mental, emotional and social needs in care plans. Positive behaviour support plans were in place for patients who needed them.

Families were involved in care planning and treatment and were invited to attend care plan reviews. The social worker liaised with families to ensure they were kept updated about any changes in care and treatment. The service held a quarterly carers forum to discuss communication and involvement.

The service made adjustments to deliver the most appropriate care and treatment for patients. Staff made use of specialist equipment such as Huntington’s Disease specialist beds, shower cradles and eye movement to speech technology.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people. Care was flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The service worked with other health and social care providers to ensure that patients’ needs were met and that they received joined-up care. The social worker liaised with commissioners and local authorities to plan patients discharge. Staff were proactive in arranging discharge plans, in one case taking a patient to charity shops to furnish her flat so that she could be discharged.

Staff supported patients to maintain contact with their families and carers. Families could visit at any time and take their loved one out in the community. Staff organised community visits for all patients physically able to attend.

We did not look at Providing Information during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved them in decisions about their care and told them what’s changed as a result.

Patients and carers knew how to complain or raise concerns, if they needed to. Staff we spoke with knew how to handle complaints appropriately. However, the service had received no complaints in last 6 months. The service had received 15 compliments from patients and families.

Staff enabled patients to give feedback on the service they received. We reviewed examples of patient community meeting minutes and saw staff asked for feedback and suggestions on the service at every meeting. Patients could log any informal complaints in a complaints book on each ward.

Family, friends and carers also had the opportunity to feedback their experiences via a survey and at the quarterly carers forum.

We did not look at Equity in access during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Responsive.

The service actively sought out and listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. They tailored the care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff promoted a culture in which the people using the service felt empowered to give their views and patients were encouraged to give feedback at community meetings.

The service had clear policies aligned with equality, diversity, and inclusion principles to prevent disadvantage and promote fairness for all, including those with protected characteristics. Diversity, inclusion and equality training and the Oliver McGowan training were part of the mandatory training programme for staff and 100% of staff had completed these. Staff also completed Introduction to culturally appropriate care training.

The service had implemented the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF). PCREF is a national framework, launched by NHS England, designed to tackle racial disparities in mental health care and improve outcomes for diverse communities.

The service supported people 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 supported patients to make decisions about their care and treatment and their future, for example advanced decisions. Staff completed Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (Respect) Forms with patients or their families to record their wishes including access to religious or spiritual support.

Staff planned and attended funerals for patients who did not have any family available to undertake this.

Staff received training in end of life care as part of their induction, and additional training was provided by local hospices and district nurses.