Woburn House

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection, 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 received person-centred care that was in line with their preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff and the management team knew people well and knew how they wanted to be supported. They made changes to people’s support if it became clear people wanted to be supported differently or if they discovered a new like or dislike. People’s care plans were mostly individualised and detailed how people wanted to be supported in line with their individual likes and dislikes. We saw staff supporting people as individuals in line with their individual preferences. For example, staff supported people to take part in past times they were interested in. Staff records about how people were feeling or how they were enjoying their support were incredibly detailed and person centred.

The person-centred care people had resulted in some positive outcomes for them. For example, people accessed the community regularly if they chose to do so and had lived in their own homes in the community for extended periods of time. We discuss specific outcomes in the ‘Equity in experiences and outcomes’ quality statement of this report. We observed people discussing their likes and dislikes with staff when we visited people’s homes. A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] is the happiest and most settled we have ever seen them. They are always busy and out and about and I know staff would speak up if they thought they were not happy.’’

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. Staff supported people to get in contact with health professionals if this was necessary. People were actively supported to be a part of their community and to follow their interests outside of the service. For example, people had been supported to have jobs, go to café’s and do their own shopping. We were shown evidence of people enjoying opportunities such as holidays, which had not been something they were confident to do before living at the service. People had a consistent staff team, and the management team made the effort for staff to work primarily at one ‘supported living setting’ to promote continuity of care. One relative said, ‘‘[Family member] is always busy and can tell us where things are in the community. They also have quieter days depending in what they want to do.’’

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Staff knew how to support people with different communication need such as using signs or objects to help them communicate. The management team made sure information such as policies and procedures were available in easy read and accessible formats. Care plans were detailed about how people communicated, for the most part. One relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] is being well looked after and always knows what is going on. You can see this in how calm and relaxed they are.’’

Overall, 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. The management and staff team made sure people, and their relatives were given the opportunity to feed back about their care and support regularly. Staff held individual meetings with people to discuss their support and any recent experiences they had which they enjoyed. Staff took time to listen to people as they were being supported throughout the day. This enabled people to feed back about how they were being supported at every opportunity. One person was clearly happy when staff spoke with them about what they would be doing later in the day. A relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] will always get in contact with me if something happens, I need to know about. I have regular meetings and phone calls with [management team] about how things are going.’’

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff supported people to contact health professionals such as GP’s or the emergency services if this was necessary. They followed professionals’ advice to help make sure people were supported safely. Staff advocated for people when they went to their appointments. People were supported to use equipment to support them to be more independent if this was necessary. Staff and the management team helped people maintain their homes to ensure they were accessible to them and adapted to any of their changing needs.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. People had been supported to have good experiences at the service and achieve positive outcomes. 1 person had been supported to find employment, and this had helped them make friends, resulting in a hugely positive outcome for them. Another person had been supported to exercise in their preferred way and really enjoyed this activity. People had also been supported to be independent and learn new skills in relation to daily living. For example, people made and prepared their own meals and drinks or learnt to access the community and use public transport with help from the staff team. The management and staff team were proud of how people had been supported to live in their own homes for such an extended period of time when this had historically been difficult for them to achieve. People had been supported to have an active life, doing their own shopping and visiting multiple areas of interests in the local community. One relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] does [list of activities] on a weekly basis and their routine is very important to them.’’ Another relative told us, ‘‘Having [family member] be so happy to go out and about is such a difference to how they used to be. They used to stay in their room in bed but are very motivated now.’’

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. People had been supported to put plans in place for the future. Staff knew who to contact for support if people needed help at the end of their life. The management team told us they would support people for as long as they could meet their needs as they had been using the service for some time. One relative told us, ‘‘It is mine, and I am sure [family member’s] wish that they live in their own home for as long as they are possibly able.’’