Lychgate House

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 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Systems were followed to make sure the process of assessing and reviewing people’s needs was up to date and involved all relevant people. Staff took time to understand what was important to people, how they preferred to communicate and the outcomes they wanted to achieve. This enabled staff to deliver personalised care that reflected people's individual needs, preferences and goals.

A staff member said, “Changes in people’s needs are identified through continuous observation, communication, regular assessments, care reviews, and medical reviews. All staff are encouraged to be alert and look out for any changes in residents’ physical health, mental wellbeing, mobility, behaviour, communication, or medication needs. Examples may include changes in mobility, vision difficulties, side effects from new medication, or changes in behaviour.”

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 standards.

The provider recognised the important role nutrition and hydration played in maintaining people's health and wellbeing.

At the time of our assessment, the provider was reviewing and updating menus to ensure they aligned with current nutritional best practice guidance. This included identifying opportunities to reduce salt, sugar and saturated fat while continuing to offer people choice, variety and meals they enjoyed. The provider actively sought feedback from people living at the service to ensure menu changes reflected their preferences and maintained a person-centred approach to mealtimes.

People spoke positively about the quality of the food and the choices available to them. Staff understood people's dietary needs, preferences and cultural requirements and worked flexibly to ensure people received meals they enjoyed. People told us they were offered alternatives if they did not wish to have the meal on the menu. A person said, “My lunch was very nice, the salmon was lovely. If I did not want salmon, they would make me something else for me.” Another person told us, “Food is very good with plenty of choice. They make us anything we want if we do not like the choices on offer.”

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

The provider used assessments and care planning documentation to support smooth transitions when people moved between services or required support from other healthcare professionals. Staff shared relevant information about people's health needs, preferences, communication requirements, risks and personal goals, enabling other services to provide care that reflected what mattered most to the individual. This helped minimise disruption and ensured people continued to receive safe and personalised support.

Staff maintained positive working relationships with a range of professionals, including GPs, district nurses, social workers and specialist healthcare teams. They communicated promptly when concerns arose, sought advice when needed and worked collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes for people.

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 needs for care and support.

Staff worked closely with visiting healthcare professionals and followed their recommendations to support positive outcomes for people. For example, one person received regular support from staff to complete exercises recommended by their physiotherapist, helping them maintain mobility and physical wellbeing.

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

The provider implemented systems to monitor key areas of people's health and wellbeing, including risks associated with weight loss, nutrition, hydration and skin integrity. Staff completed regular monitoring and recorded observations consistently, enabling them to identify changes in people's health at an early stage. Records showed staff reviewed people's progress, assessed emerging risks and took appropriate action when concerns were identified. Staff shared relevant information with healthcare professionals to ensure care and treatment remained responsive to people's changing needs.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Where people had capacity to make decisions, staff respected their choices. Where there were concerns about a person's ability to make a specific decision, the provider completed capacity assessments and followed appropriate decision-making processes.

Where people lacked capacity, the provider made decisions in their best interests and involved relevant individuals, such as family members, advocates and healthcare professionals, where appropriate. Records showed staff considered people's wishes, feelings, beliefs and values when making decisions on their behalf. We saw evidence staff understood the requirements of the MCA and sought to make decisions that promoted people's rights, wellbeing and least restrictive care. A staff member told us, “The Mental Capacity Act ensures people are supported to make their own decisions whenever possible. We assume capacity unless proven otherwise. I offer choices, explain information in a way they understand, and involve them in decisions. If someone lacks capacity, we follow best‑interest decision processes.”