Whyke Lodge

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 assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

The service was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to person centred care. Improvements were found at this assessment and the service was no longer in breach of this regulation.

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 were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People were receiving a personalised service. People and their relatives spoke positively about their quality of life. One person said, “I’m happy here, it’s home.” A relative told us, “It’s the little things I notice, they put his needs first, they ask him would you like a cup of tea with honey in it, they know him well.” Relatives described how activities were offered according to people’s preferences and interests. One person was known to enjoy watching films, their relative told us, “He likes to watch war films with his friends, he is never bored here.” Another relative described how people enjoyed a regular visit to the service from a miniature pony. One relative told us, “There is a buzzing atmosphere in the home.”

We observed a variety of activities taking place throughout the day. These were personalised and people were engaged with what they were doing. Some people who enjoyed art were engaged with an art activity during the morning. Others were watching television and interacting in a quiz game with staff members. Some people enjoyed a game with a staff member and balloons. We noted how some staff were sitting with people using objects of interest, including a book, to support a reminiscence discussion.

The provider’s systems supported staff to provide person-centred care. Assessments were holistic and included people’s needs, choices and preferences. This meant staff had the information they needed about people’s individual needs. For example, a person with dementia was known to find it difficult to interact with medical professionals. Staff were aware of this, the person’s care plan identified this difficulty and provided strategies for staff to follow to ensure the person was supported to manage medical interventions. A relative described how staff understood one person’s preference for certain clothes and told us, “They know she loves bright colours.”

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.

People were receiving a personalised service that supported continuity of care, flexibility and choice. Staff knew people well and demonstrated a good understanding of people’s individual needs. This meant staff were able to recognise changes in people’s needs and to seek appropriate support from health care professionals. A relative told us how staff had noticed a change in their relation’s behaviour. They said, “The dementia has worsened, and they(staff) have called in the emergency dementia team and they are tweaking her medication.”

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Some people had communication needs that were identified in their assessments and care plans. Communication passports were used to provide clear guidance for staff about how to communicate with people. One example included details of how to approach verbal communication to support the person’s understanding, using short, clear sentences. We observed a staff member using this technique successfully when supporting the person.

The provider’s systems included accessible information assessments to support them in meeting accessible information standards.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to support people’s communication and information needs. A staff member gave an example of a person who was hard of hearing. They explained how staff used a number of techniques including a board to write on, photos and picture cards and a short booklet to remind the person about how to stand up safely. Relatives said they received information regularly, on an individual basis. One relative said, “I have a weekly phone call from the home.” Another relative told us, “We have monthly updates on her care.” Relatives said they had opportunities to regularly discuss care needs, and any changes needed, either in telephone updates or when they visited, and also received information through arranged meetings. One relative told us, “They chat when I visit, and they hold relative’s meetings.”

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.

People and their relatives were supported to share their views and feedback about the service. Questionnaires were undertaken by the provider to gather views on the quality of the service and to ask for ideas about improvements that could be made. The most recent results were very positive.

The provider had a complaints system and people and their relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns or complaints but had not needed to do so. One relative said, “We can say exactly how we feel, they don’t hide anything from us.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People and their relatives told us staff were proactive in supporting them to access the health and care services they needed. One person said, “I only need to ask once, and they arrange everything.” A relative said, “There are regular doctor and nurse visits, chiropodist and optician, she likes her visits to the hairdresser too.”

Records confirmed people were supported to access appropriate services. One person’s health had deteriorated, their records showed involvement from the diabetic nurse who had recommended a change of medicine. Staff were aware of this change and told us the district nurse would visit regularly to provide the medicine by injection.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Some people were at increased risk of social isolation due to dementia or mental health needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of these risks and how to support people to remain engaged both as part of the community of the service and the wider local community. People were offered choices in activities that were relevant to their individual needs and preferences. Staff sought ways to overcome barriers to people participating. For example, a person told us they were supported to use the stair lift so they could join in activities downstairs. A staff member spent time supporting a person to join in with a quiz by repeating the question to them as they were hard of hearing. A relative told us how staff supported people to take part in activities of their choice. They said, “They do a lot of activities which (person’s name) enjoys, they do things to make him feel comfortable. He is never distressed when we go in, he is always calm and settled.”

Staff spoke proudly about an initiative called Magic Moments where people were offered the choice to have a special day out doing something special that was important to them. We saw examples including trips to gardens, pub lunches, and the theatre.

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 were supported to plan for their care at end of life. Relatives told us they had been involved where appropriate. One relative said, “We have talked through end of life care in detail with her and her wishes document is with Social Services.”

Staff had received training in how to support people at end of life and spoke about the positive impact of this training. One staff member said, “Providing mouth care is important for comfort, as well as supporting the family members when they visit.”