Hill Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People and those closest to them were involved in comprehensive assessments that included consideration of their physical, mental health, sensory, social and communication needs. These assessments formed the basis of people’s care plans. Staff understood people’s individual needs and made sure assessments were regularly reviewed and updated when changes occurred. People’s preferred communication style was used so they could take part in reviews of their care. We saw evidence of people’s views being recorded and included in care plans. One relative said, “I am involved as much as I can, I get excited about a care plan. The staff all follow the care plans.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Staff used nationally recognised tools appropriately to assess and monitor people’s needs. For example, the Abbey pain scale tool was used to identify when people were in pain for appropriate action to be taken. The service was supporting people in line with the ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ principles.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services. Staff worked with a range of different professionals including speech and language therapists, physio therapist, neurological consultants and learning disability specialists to ensure people’s needs were met. Professionals told us staff worked well with them to ensure people received the care and treatment they needed to live a fulfilled life. One professional said, “Staff are always able to give me a good handover or ask another member of staff to if they can't. They are friendly and seem to really care.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People were supported to eat a nutritious balanced diet. Staff used people’s preferred communication style to plan weekly menus of food they liked to eat. Wherever possible people would be supported to cook their own meals. People could access the garden when they wanted to do so and were supported to live a fulfilled and active lifestyle. One professional said, “I am always impressed with the day trips and activities that they have planned and think the staff and home support each individual to thrive.” One relative said, “It’s brilliant there, it has bungalows with other clients, they have garden barbecues together with a trampoline, and a local fellow farmer comes in with goats and sheep the place is very close to us so we can be there to join in.”

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Staff used a range of appropriate clinical observations charts to monitor people’s progress and identify when professionals may be required to provide additional care and treatment. This meant people were supported to achieve consistently good outcomes. One professional said, “Staff are always present during my visits and support the service users to keep them happy and calm throughout, be it through reading, chatting or singing when needed. They clearly know their service users and that also shows with how comfortable and happy the service users are with them.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff knew the importance of seeking consent they said, “It's important that they have a say in all aspects of their life I would want the same so I treat those I support as I would want myself or loved ones to be treated . I knock on their bedroom door before entering and wait for their consent before personal care. This is not always verbal so I need to make sure I know how they would communicate.” Staff demonstrated they understood the mental capacity act and their responsibilities. One staff member said, “I felt an individual lacked capacity, I would assess their understanding by simplifying the information and using different communication methods if needed such as PEC cards. I would then involve relevant professionals, to determine capacity and ensure decisions are made in the individuals best interests. For example, if an individual couldn’t understand a medical decision, I would consult with their doctor and family to ensure the decision is in their best interest.” When people lacked the capacity to make decisions staff had followed the principles of the mental capacity act to ensure decisions were made with those closest to them, were the least restrictive and in their best interest.