Westwood 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

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment this key question has changed to requires improvement. This meant people’s needs were not always met. The provider was in breach of the legal regulation relating to person-centred care.

This service scored 50 (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 did not make sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they did not work in partnership with people, to decide how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. Care plans were not always reflective of people’s care needs, and they recorded ‘problems’ rather than people’s individual needs and how to support them. People did not always feel treated as individuals and one person said, “Treated as an individual? That’s a hard one… sometimes.” We found people at risk of weight loss were placed on food charts, but these had not always been completed properly. Therefore, it was unclear whether people were receiving adequate nutrition or supported appropriately. Where people needed to be observed regularly to check on their safety or to reposition them, records had not always been completed. This meant we could not be sure they were receiving the individual care and support they should have, which put them at risk of harm.

There were shortfalls in how the provider had understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care had not always been joined-up, flexible or supportive of choice and continuity. During feedback we discussed therapeutic work which could benefit some people. The new management team had other ideas to improve this area, but work was required to implement, embed and sustain this.

The provider supplied information in formats that could be tailored to individual needs. Information was available in a variety of formats in a way they could understand. Communication plans were in place. Care staff told us they had information about and understood people’s communication needs. We observed staff effectively supporting people to fully express themselves.

The provider had not always made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff did not always involve people with changes or input into the service. One person said, “I didn’t get any information, my needs haven’t changed, but I’ve not had any discussions.” Another person said, “No, they have not asked me for feedback.” However, the new management team appointed a ‘resident representative’ during the assessment to gather people’s views and be involved in aspects of changes to the service, including future recruitment.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. However, more work was required to empower staff with additional training, to help them encourage people to accept additional support and treatment to move on to a healthier lifestyle and achieve positive outcomes.

Staff and leaders did not always actively listen to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. This meant people’s care was not always tailored in response to this. People did not always feel listened to or able to give feedback. Records and care plans were not always up to date.

People were not always 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. Care plans were not always detailed with information to support staff to understand how people wanted to be supported, particularly if they were approaching the end of their lives.