Fitzwilliam 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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This service scored 83 (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's care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People's needs, strengths, goals and aspirations were assessed before they moved to the service and reviewed regularly. Assessments considered people's support needs, risks, preferences and what they wanted to achieve.

The assessment process was person-centred and responsive. One professional told us, "Fitzwilliam Lodge assessing team visited and interacted brilliantly with the service user and were willing to quickly progress the referral and allow [the person] a visit to their service."

Support was regularly reviewed and updated when people's needs, goals or circumstances changed. Staff sought specialist advice when needed and worked with people and professionals to ensure support continued to reflect their current needs and goals.

The provider planned and delivered people's care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and

Staff worked closely with healthcare professionals and sought specialist advice when people's needs changed. Professionals consistently described a culture of professionalism, learning and collaboration. One professional told us, "Staff always follow advice, ask questions, and honestly discuss patients progress." A second professional described leaders as "knowledgeable, responsive" and "willing to engage in discussions about what is best for the service user." A third professional told us, "For the majority of residents, they know their service users well" and were "good at keeping me updated on potential increases in the package of care needed." The same professional also identified an area for development and told us, “[staff] often need direction on actions to take and a consistent follow up." They provided an example to support this feedback. We explored this and found the provider had assessed risk, sought input from relevant professionals and taken appropriate action.

The provider consistently worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once. People achieved positive outcomes because staff worked exceptionally well together and with other professionals.

People, professionals and staff described a service where information was shared quickly, decisions were made together and support remained joined up when needs changed. Hospital packs helped ensure external services had the information they needed, reducing the likelihood of people having to repeat important information during admissions and appointments. Staff also maintained strong relationships with professionals, supporting effective communication before, during and after transitions between services.

Professionals spoke positively about working with Fitzwilliam Lodge. One professional told us their experience had been "extremely positive in terms of partnership working", whilst another described staff as "knowledgeable, responsive and willing to engage in discussions about what is best for the service user”.

This collaborative approach helped people progress towards their goals and minimised disruption to their recovery when circumstances changed. One professional told us a potentially disruptive move "was managed very well" and the person "remains settled." Another professional described how staff built trust with a person who had initially declined to engage with support. They told us, "Fitzwilliam Lodge came in and worked with [them] to build that trust. They helped her accept support from other professionals, so she got the help she needed."

We heard examples of exceptionally effective partnership working. Including people moving from hospital and restrictive environments into the community and working towards living in their own homes. People also received help quickly when their needs changed and were supported to continue working towards their goals during periods of crisis, bereavement or ill health.

As a result, people experienced joined-up support from professionals who trusted one another, worked towards shared goals and remained focused on what mattered most to them, helping them achieve positive outcomes.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and, where possible, reduce their future need for care and support.

People achieved improvements in their health and wellbeing, including support with substance misuse and smoking. Staff worked closely with GPs, mental health professionals and specialist healthcare services when people's health needs changed. We heard examples of staff identifying physical health concerns and seeking timely treatment from other professionals.

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Effective monitoring and personalised support helped people move beyond hospital-based care and continue progressing towards their goals. People's progress towards recovery, independence and personal goals was monitored through regular reviews and the ‘Outcome Star’, a tool used to measure progress in areas such as wellbeing, relationships, managing mental health and independent living. This helped staff and leaders identify changes, review progress and adapt support proactively.

For example, regular weight monitoring identified concerns about a person's nutritional health, prompting coordinated intervention from a dietician and staff. Through this approach, the person's “weight increased from just over 7 stone to just under 10 stone and they went on to manage their own nutrition and maintain their own menu.”

One person who had been under a Section 41, meaning important decisions about their life, including where they lived, needed approval from the courts,told us about their exceptional journey towards independence. They moved over 400 miles away to live with their partner and care for a relative. They are now preparing for a baby and planning their wedding. They told us, "I got my Section 41 removed, which is often a rarity. I wouldn't be where I am if it was not for [Fitzwilliam Lodge staff].”

Another person said, "Years ago, when I was at home on my own. I never socialised. I never talked to anybody." They now live in their own flat, maintain their home independently and described Fitzwilliam Lodge as, "The best place I've lived at." This reflected a significant improvement in their independence, confidence and social wellbeing.

Another person was recently admitted to hospital with a chest infection. A professional told us that previously, periods of poor physical health had resulted in a significant deterioration in their mental health. Reflecting on the person's most recent admission, they said, "The fact that this episode was successfully managed by the placement, and that [person] was able to inform me about it afterwards in such a calm and rational way, is another example of the excellent support being provided by the Fitzwilliam staff team."

These outcomes were reflected across the service. Multiple people moved from secure hospital settings into the community and others progressed to more independent living arrangements.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People were supported to make their own decisions wherever possible and were encouraged to express their wishes, preferences and views.

Information was adapted to meet individual communication needs through easy-read information, visual information, personalised communication tools and discussions tailored to the person.

Staff showed a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and recognised that a person's capacity to make decisions could change over time. Staff recognised that people's ability to make decisions could change over time and requested updated assessments where necessary to ensure care and treatment reflected their current wishes and preferences.