Forest Lodge Care Home

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

The service provided responsive care that was person centred, based around the needs of individuals. People were supported to access activities in the home and community, although a relative told us they would like more community activities. People’s needs were met in relation to equality and diversity. People felt listened to and there were systems for involving them in the running of the service. The service had differing ways of communicating with people, depending on their communication needs.

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 told us that care was person-centred and that staff knew their individual needs. One person said, “If you asked a carer, I’m sure they would know my condition. It’s reassuring if they know how best to support you.” Another person said, “The carers understand me and know what I am like. They leave me alone when I want to be. If I want to talk to them, they’ll talk to me. They know how I react to things.”

Staff told us person centred care was about people having control over their lives and being involved in decisions about their care. The Registered Manager told us how they observed staff treat people living in the home with dignity and respect.

We observed that care provided was mostly person-centred, although as mentioned in the caring section of this report we witnessed an occasion where a person’s dignity was compromised as they were wearing ill-fitting clothes. Other than that we saw staff treating people as individuals in a kind and caring way, meeting needs in a personalised manner, for example, sitting with people to do puzzles with them.

People and relatives told us there was integration and continuity of care between different care services. A relative said, “[Person] goes for blood transfusion every 2 weeks, they support them well with all their health needs. They support them with all their appointments such as GP and dentist.” Records showed that care was integrated with other care services, for example, when people went in into or returned from hospital care.

People told us they had good communication with staff. One person said, “I can understand what they say to me, no language barriers as far as I am concerned.”

Staff were able to tell us how they used different methods to communicate with people, such as the use of gestures, body language and speech. The registered manager told us that not everyone using the service spoke English as their first language, and their relatives often helped in communicating with people, and for one person, and interpreter visited the service twice a week to help them communicate effectively.

We found that people’s care plans had detailed and accurate information around their individual care. There was evidence of working together and sharing relevant information with other services and healthcare professionals. There was a process in place to ensure that people’s needs were flagged to staff. A relative told us, “Staff communicate everything with me and I am kept updated.”

The provider held ‘Community Meetings’. These were for people who used the service, which gave them the opportunity to raise issues of importance to them. Recent meetings included discussions about the menu and activities. People told us they felt listened to. One person said, “If I felt unhappy, I’d go to the nurse first, but I trust any of them. They are doing their best for us here.”

The provider told us how they periodically surveyed key stakeholders including the people who lived in the home, their families and the staff to take on board their ideas about the running of the service.

The provider shared recent findings from recent surveys carried out canvassing the views of people living in the home, their families and the staff team. The feedback we saw suggested that all those responding to the surveys were satisfied with the provider.

The staff told us how they supported people to health appointments at the local hospital. Staff were responsible for facilitating the appointments and talking to hospital staff, advocating on behalf of the people they cared for.

We spoke with the host local authority about this service and they dd not express any concerns relating to people having equity in access.

People had equity in access to services and facilities. People were supported to access relevant healthcare professionals. They were also able to access community based services and facilities. The provider had taken steps to meet people’s needs in relation to equality and diversity. These were covered in people’s care plans and there was a policy about this to help guide staff practice.

People told us they had positive experiences and outcomes, for example, in relation to mealtimes. One person told us, “I like the food, the portions are substantial and you can ask for extra if you wish. I like the chicken curry.” Another person said, “I get food brought in and they will cook it for me. I had nice pork and rice today.” However, in relation to activities a relative said, “I would like them to take [person] out more. They do take them out, but I’d like it more.” But the relative added, “They have this activity person now who does activities with them.” A person told us, “If there’s an activity going on, I might join in. I tend to dip in and out. If there’s some entertainment I’ll definitely be there. Much of my time is spent in my room with the door shut, but no way does this feel like a prison, in fact it gives me security.”

The Manager told us how efforts were made so people got access to services available. They gave an example about a visiting chiropody service that ensured people could get the foot care they needed in the home owing to the difficulties accessing the service within the community.

The provider had policies and procedures in line with the Equality Act 2010 to ensure fairness and equal access for all of the people it supported and all of its staff.

Staff told us that end of life care was discussed with people and their families and people’s wishes were followed.

We saw evidence as part of people’s care plans that end of life was discussed with people. However, we saw a lack of detailed information for one person who was not able to express their wishes and there appeared to have been no involvement from services that can support with advocacy.