Victoria House Also known as Victoria House North East Limited

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 service 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 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff promoted an exceptionally strong person-centred culture where people were at the heart of the service. Throughout the inspection we saw staff spending time with people. We heard laughter between staff and people and saw respectful interactions. There had been significant improvements to the well-being of people due to the person-centred care they received. A person told us, “It has helped me being here.” A staff member commented, “The service user's lives have improved. A person who used to be very quiet has now come out of their shell.” Staff were aware of and had an in-depth understanding of people's needs, anxieties and aspirations. They established consistent and trusting relationships with people which enabled people to relax with the support provided. For example, people living at the service had fewer hospital admissions and a person had fewer deteriorations in their mental health. A relative commented, “The fact that [Name] is still there is very positive. Staff do a great job.” Due to the compassionate support of staff, people flourished and enjoyed an excellent quality of life. There was a very strong culture of empowering people. Independence and autonomy were promoted, and this was at the centre of all care and support that people received. There were several examples of where people had flourished and become more independent in terms of physical or emotional well-being. For example, learning to travel independently to attend college and further afield, being supported to live more independently, being supported to go on holidays in this country and plans were being made for holidays abroad. Care plans were exceptionally detailed with a consistently high degree of personalisation and provided staff with an excellent guide to understanding each person. A relative told us, “Staff know [Name]’s likes and dislikes.”

Staff at the service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. Information was available and shared between services as needed to ensure people's care and treatment needs could be assessed and met. People’s care records showed how people’s care was planned and delivered with continuity, inclusion and a holistic approach to people’s needs. This included, for example, how people were supported after admission following a hospital stay caused by a decline in health or an accident.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Information was available to people in alternative formats to support people's communication needs if this was necessary.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. A staff member told us, “We have house meetings every month. People are asked and give opinions on the menu, where they want to go and how everyone is getting on.” People told us staff listened to their views and acted on feedback. A person told us, “We asked for a Macmillan coffee morning and had one and raised money.” Another person told us, “I had my very long hair cut short, to donate it to a charity that make wigs for children with cancer.”

Staff made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. People's care records showed they had access to care, support and referrals were made for treatment when they needed it. Care records included information around people's sensory and communication needs.

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. Care plans were detailed and included information around people’s identity, things which were important to them, their wishes and relationships they wanted to maintain.

People were very well-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. Detailed person-centred information was collected about people's religion and cultural preferences if this support was required, at the time and was re-checked in case people’s wishes changed. People’s wishes to remain at the home were respected when they neared the end of their life. We saw evidence of an older person’s active involvement in planning their end-of-life care and how they wished to be supported at this important time. This included in the time leading up to their death and their wishes for after, when the time comes. The local priest and undertaker were involved, visiting the person to pray and discuss the options for the funeral service and the type of funeral and coffin the person wanted. Staff supported the person to re listen to their favourite music to select for the service and also the flowers they wanted. Throughout this emotional time the person was very well-supported by staff. The registered manager and staff kept in touch and retained a friendship with some people who no longer lived at the home. A person who had moved on and was receiving end of life care in another of the provider’s services was visited by the staff and the registered manager during their decline and to say their goodbyes.