Springfield 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 services were organised so that they met people’s needs. People received person centred care from a group of staff who knew people well. People and their families felt listened to by staff and involved in making decisions about their care. The service worked closely with other health and social care professionals to provide a consistent service that was tailored to individual needs and preferences. This included any end of life decisions related to treatment and preferred places of 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.

People received personalised care which met their needs and reflected their preferences. They told us they were happy with their care.

Staff and managers knew people well. They were able to tell us about people's needs and how they liked to be cared for.

People received individual care and support. They were given choices, made decisions and staff respected these.

People's care and treatment was well coordinated between the service and healthcare professionals.

Staff and the provider knew who to contact to make sure people received the right support. The provider attended provider meetings with the local surgery, and forums related to health and social care, training and development. They told us this was to maintain strong positive links with their health practitioners, and they enjoyed gathering new information that would positively impact people they supported.

An external professional told us staff were good at supporting people to receive the most appropriate treatment to meet their needs.

A health professional from the GP surgery contacted the home regularly to monitor people's health and wellbeing. They liaised with other healthcare professionals to help make sure people had joined up care and received the clinical and emotional support they required.

People were able to get information and advice that was accurate, up-to-date and provided in a way that they could understand, and which met their communication needs. One relative told us, “If anything happens, they will ring me. [If required] they will call the nurse and then call me and let me know.”

The provider and staff regularly discussed the service and people's needs with them and their families. One staff member told us, “[Provider] she is always chatting with people.” Staff told us they were able to access care records and they were up to date and reflected people’s individual wishes.

We observed staff tailor their approach and how they communicated so people received information in an accessible way. Records were stored confidentially and in line with best practice.

People were able to share their views of their care and support through discussions with staff and the provider, surveys and meetings. People told us they felt confident any concerns would be acted upon. One person told us, “I have never complained, but I know how to.” A second person said, “I would ask to talk to one of the directors who own the place. One visits every week, so I could speak to her.” We noted comments made by people were actioned whenever possible. When a concern or feedback was shared, the provider took action to improve the service people received. This included providing preferred foods like jellied eels and hot sauces.

Staff told us they felt any complaints would be explored thoroughly by the provider. One staff member commented, “[Provider] would listen to complaints.” Staff shared they had the contact details of the owner should they need to escalate any concerns. The provider documented complaints, concerns and requests and actions taken. This allowed the provider to have oversight, offer a timely response and record any actions taken.

There were several ways in which the provider listened to people and other stakeholders. These included surveys, monitoring complaints and incident and accident monitoring. The provider had a complaints, and whistleblowing policies which included ways in which concerns could be raised, the process for dealing with any concerns and further steps that could be taken if complainants were unhappy with the resolution.

People were able to access care, treatment and support when they needed to without delay. We observed staff promoted people’s rights to access medical treatment within Springfield Lodge, when health professionals visited the home. Feedback from relatives indicated the provider was supporting people’s rights to equity in accessing services.

Staff showed they understood people had a right to receive the care and support that met their specific individual needs. Records showed they had received training in Equality & Diversity, and they demonstrated this when we spoke with them. We observed they treated people equally, without discrimination and respected their individual needs, promoting their cultural needs.

We observed health professionals were provided with the necessary information and support from staff so people could access care, treatment and support when they needed to and in a way that worked for them.

The provider had processes to ensure people had access to care, treatment and support when they need to in a way that works for them. They supported health professionals when they visited the home, advocated for people in multi-disciplinary clinical meeting that took place by video, and accompanied people who required support to attend medical appointments.

We observed people felt empowered to challenge staff, gave their views freely to the director and understood their rights. We observed staff were fair and impartial offering people the same support and opportunities regardless of their abilities or unique behaviours. This included, purchasing adapted cutlery to support a person’s independence, parties and gifts to celebrate milestones and areas of interest.

The provider and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality. People’s care and support was tailored to meet their needs.

The provider complied with legal equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination and protecting people from unfair treatment. Staff had multiple mandatory training courses they had to complete that safeguarded people and where appropriate their protected characteristics. Protected characteristics are specific attributes safeguarded against discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. These include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

People who may be approaching the end of their life were identified and this information was shared with other services and staff. This allowed for additional medicines to be stored at the home just in case they were required to help people have a more dignified and comfortable death.

Staff had received end of life training. Staff were able to say when they would contact district nurses so they could administer end of life medicines to people. They had also spoken with health professionals to discuss changes in people’s treatment. Staff were able to describe how they could provide palliative and sensitive support to people.

The provider had supported people to plan for important life changes, including advanced care planning at the end of their life. Additional anticipatory medicines were stored at the home for people who were identified as requiring them as part of their end of life care. These medicines had been stored in accordance with best practice. Anticipatory prescribing is the prescribing of medicines before a person needs them. When people had made a DNACPR decision the provider had recorded this within their care plan. DNACPR stands for 'Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)'. It means that if a person has a cardiac arrest or dies suddenly, there will be guidance on what action should or shouldn't be taken by a healthcare professional, including not performing CPR on the person.