Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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.

Description: We always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion and we respect their privacy and dignity. We treat colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Quality Statement Score: 3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff attitudes and behaviours when interacting with patients showed that they were discreet, respectful and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it. We observed staff interactions with patients over the two days we were onsite inspecting. We found that staff were kind, approachable and respectful and knew patients well. All patients said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition. There was lots of information available to patients throughout the ward, including posters about rights, how to complain and advocacy, as well as leaflets patients could take and read about medication, therapy options and groups to attend.

Staff directed patients to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services. This included local opportunities for education, exercise and volunteering.

Staff understood the individual needs of patients, including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

Staff said they could raise concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory or abusive behaviour or attitudes towards patients without fear of the consequences.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients, including keeping discussions about patient care off the main ward area, and ensuring information displayed about patients in the office was not in areas patients could see.

Description: We treat people as individuals and make sure their care, support and treatment meets their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Quality Statement Score: 3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments for disabled patients – for example, by ensuring disabled people’s access to premises and by meeting patients’ specific communication needs. The ward was on ground level and entrances had accessible ramps for patients who had mobility issues or used a wheelchair.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, patients’ rights, how to complain and so on. These were clearly displayed on the ward and in reception areas.

The information provided was in a form accessible to the particular patient group. Staff made information leaflets available in languages spoken by patients. Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers and staff did not report any difficulty in accessing these services.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances. The ward was fully self-catering, and staff were able to support patients to shop for food that met their cultural needs as well as intolerances and allergies. Patients had their own cupboards and fridges for safe storage so patients with specific needs could keep their food items separate to others.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support.

Description: We promote people’s independence, so they know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment. and wellbeing.

Quality Statement Score: 3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

We spoke to 7 patients and 5 carers as part of our inspection. All patients and carers we spoke with told us they felt well informed about theirs or their loved one’s care and treatment. They told us they received information about their treatment plan and in particular medication options. The pharmacy team for the ward would regularly meet with patients to discuss medicines, their effects and side effects, as well as answering questions the patient had about their options. Patients reported that, where appropriate, their family, carers or loved ones were involved in meetings about their care.

We reviewed the minutes of the last 3 community meetings on each ward and patient and carer feedback received in the 6 months preceding our inspection. Community meetings took place weekly and were well attended by patients and staff. We saw examples of patients being informed of upcoming trips and opportunities for community engagement, as well as championing patients who were doing well in their engagement in the rehabilitation pathway. Outcomes and actions were documented, and we could see where actions were carried over to the next meeting and feedback provided on progress.

We saw good examples of changes being made as a result of patient feedback. For example, patients had requested a daily newspaper to keep up with current affairs which was now delivered daily to the ward. Patients had identified limited access to technology, therefore, a dedicated patient computer had been provided to support patients to manage correspondence and access online resources, communication, education and recovery planning.

Description: We listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. We respond to these in that moment and will act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Quality Statement Score: 3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were aware of and dealt with any specific risk issues, such as falls and care planned for these accordingly. Care plans for patients with mobility issues included advice from appropriate professionals such as occupational therapists on how to manage this whilst supporting the patient to maintain independence.

Staff identified and responded to changing risks to, or posed by, patients. An example was given of a patient who had enjoyed cycling but had a fall from the bike resulting in injury. The team had worked hard to develop the risk assessment and care plan for the patient to enable them to continue to ride the bike, with clear actions in place if the patient had a fall whilst out on leave again.

Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for physical interventions when patients’ behaviours became heightened. During the six month period 1 December 2025 to 31 May 2026, there were no incidents of restraint at Wesham Rehabilitation Centre. We saw during our observations of patient and staff interactions, that staff knew patients well and were able to use patients interests and hobbies to de-escalate situations in order to avoid more restrictive intervention.

Description: We care about and promote the wellbeing of our staff, and we support and enable them to always deliver person centred care.

Quality Statement Score: 3. We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Staff felt positive and proud about working for the trust and their team. Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service.

The service’s staff sickness and absence were similar to the average for the trust.

The trust recognised staff success within the service – for example, through staff awards.

Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported.