Archived: Neil Cliffe Centre

The Neil Cliffe Centre is based at Wythenshawe Hospital, Greater Manchester and provides a day support service to people with a life limiting illness. It is part of the wider organisation that is St Ann’s Hospice which provides inpatient care and treatment at two hospice sites in Heald Green and Little Hulton. People are able to self refer for a variety of treatments including complementary therapy, counselling and physiotherapy. At the time of our inspection there were 90 people on the centre's case load. Not all of the 90 people would be accessing the service at any one time; for instance people may only have one hour aromatherapy or physiotherapy session a week.

Staff we spoke with knew how to keep people safe and knew when and how they could report concerns. There was an up to date safeguarding adult’s policy and staff had received appropriate training in this area.

There were sufficient staff who had received appropriate training in order to support people who accessed the Neil Cliffe Centre for treatment. Staff recruitment was completed by the provider for the hospice service and did not take place at the centre. Please see inspection reports for Little Hulton and Heald Green further details.

People were involved in deciding what treatment they accessed from the service and how this was recorded. For example, one person did not want a care plan for the treatment they received, however they were happy for the service to keep a record of any treatment they had. Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act and obtaining people’s consent.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and people felt supported to make choices about the support they received. People’s needs were reviewed regularly and plans changed to meet their needs.

Staff received supervisions, but these were held at one of the other hospice sites. There were weekly team meetings held to discuss any new referrals. Staff told us they felt supported.

We saw the service had appropriate policies and procedures in place which were up to date. Audits were completed regularly and we saw action had been taken when necessary.

The Neil Cliffe Centre did not support people with meals or medicines so we are not able to report on these areas.

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive to people's needs?

Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

The Neil Cliffe Centre provide an outpatient and supportive day service between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. The Neil Cliffe Centre is part of St Ann's Hospice which is a registered charity.

The premises are located in the grounds of Wythenshawe Hospital and are the responsibility of the University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM). The Support Services Officer who is employed by the Neil Cliffe Centre liaises with UHSM for maintenance of the premises and safety certificates such as electric and gas that are required by legislation.

The premises were clean, tidy and well maintained both inside and outside of the building.

Training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards took place which ensured that people who were not able to make decisions or choices were protected and kept safe. However the staff members at the Neil Cliffe Centre were not directly involved with these decisions and best interest meetings, as they had usually been carried out by other professionals such as social workers.

We saw people had received an assessment of their care needs and that these had been discussed with the person concerned. The assessments were carried out by a key worker who was also a registered nurse. Other members of the hospice staff team were also experienced and qualified to carry out assessments if a key worker was not available.

Is the service effective?

Training was in place that ensured services were provided at the Neil Cliffe Centre by a qualified staff team with up to date skills to provide treatments and the services required. These included physiotherapy, aromatherapy, massage and counselling.

Mandatory training was on going and consisted of moving and handling, safeguarding adults, infection control, health and safety.

We saw from looking at the care plans that there was a good understanding of the person's needs.

We spoke with three people who used the service. They told us that the staff team were very welcoming. One person told us; 'I saw a very nice lady and I felt able to talk'. They also said that they had an assessment at their initial meeting and they were able to discuss what was on their mind.

There were individual treatment rooms which offered people privacy and respected their dignity. The day room was comfortably furnished with magazines and books that people could borrow. The day room led to a pleasant garden. There was a passenger lift to take people to the first floor where meetings took place; including the patient/carer group meetings.

Is the service caring?

All of the people we spoke with were happy with the service and the care provided.

We received the following comments: 'They ring me the day before my appointment as a reminder and check that I am still able to keep the appointment'; 'The Neil Cliffe Centre saved me and helped me to cope with my illness'; 'It is like going into a family'; 'The reception staff are all very nice'.

Another person told us that a number of people who worked at or attended the centre as patients had become personal friends and that everyone was caring.

One person told us that the physiotherapist had provided computer generated pictures along with written instructions which they had found really useful.

Is the service responsive to people's needs?

We saw that people's needs were assessed before any treatments or therapies were offered.

The treatments that were agreed with the person were documented on the care plan. We saw notes from the physiotherapist and the reflexologist that had been made after the treatments had been administered.

We were told that people could refer themselves at any time to the centre and that they would be seen. This included people who had previously had treatments at the centre. One person told us that they had received three sessions over the years that they had been involved with the Neil Cliffe Centre.

Is the service well led?

The Neil Cliffe Centre is part of the wider organisation of St Ann's Hospice which include inpatient services at Heald Green and Little Hulton. The service also provide day therapy services at Little Hulton and Heald Green and community services at Little Hulton.

Surveys were conducted regularly and replies were analysed in order to improve the service provided.

The organisation had recently appointed a project manager to look at the Neil Cliffe Centre and how the service may be expanded to provide a more varied programme. A focus group had recently been held at the centre and ten people had attended. People were asked about their experiences and what they would like to see taking place at the centre in the future.

There was also a patient/carer group which met every two months. There was a core of 12 members with approximately half at any one time attending the meetings. Part of their remit was to look at the leaflets and survey questionnaires that were produced by the organisation and provide feedback to enable continuous improvement.

The organisation had the Investors in People (IIP) Accreditation. IIP assess and accredit organisations on the management and quality of the service they provide to both people who use the service and those who work for the service.

The people we spoke with were very complimentary about the staff and services provided. One person said 'The care is phenomenal; I loved the place from the moment I walked in'.

Another person told us 'The staff are caring, professional and very thoughtful'.

The people we spoke with confirmed that the centre had put them in touch with other services and gave them valuable support. One person told us 'I was allocated a keyworker who devised a programme and explained everything to me'.

Both people confirmed they didn't have any need to make any complaints and felt the staff would accommodate any issues or concerns that may arise.