Eachstep Blackburn

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. Their accessibility needs were taken into consideration including mobility and communication. People had communication assessments as part of their care planning pathway. 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. People’s protected characteristics and diversity needs were considered in line with the Equality Act 2010. The Act ensures everyone is lawfully protected from discrimination.

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.

We observed staff were confident, communicated effectively and provided effective support to people. Staff showed a good understanding on how to support people living at Eachstep Blackburn, adapting their interactions to suit people’s communication preferences. People’s care plans included guidance for staff on each person’s specific needs. Some people’s care plans would benefit from further development to include strategies around personalised care needs. The registered manager told us they were working with staff to do this.

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

Staff and management team knew who to contact to make sure people received the right support.

The provider worked in partnership with services to ensure people’s physical and mental health needs were met. Suggestions from health and social care professionals to improve care had been implemented by the registered manager as agreed.

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.

We observed staff communicating with people in a way that they understood. One person told us, “Staff are very attentive and always explain when they are helping me.” A relative commented, “My husband has just had an assessment. They [staff] always make sure I am up to date and ask me if I have any concerns.”

Staff were able to share information that was accurate and up to date. One person told us, “We have assessments to follow and they're always up to date.” We get time to read care plans and we get updated at handovers every shift, or during shift if it's needed.”

The registered manager ensured she knew people well. We observed them relaying accurate information to visiting health professionals. Processes were in place to ensure information could be effectively shared with people, relatives, services and staff. There was a notice board in reception with useful information for people such as when chiropodists will visit. There was a noticeboard in the care home which contained information on health assessment methods. The registered manager said this was to help relatives understand how people were supported to keep safe and healthy. Bedroom doors had people’s names and photographs on to help people walk around the home by themselves and find their own bedroom.

People and their families knew how to give feedback about their experiences of care and support including how to raise any concerns or issues. One person told us staff did everything to meet her needs and she knew she could speak to management if she had any worries. About the staff and management, she said, “They are all approachable.”

Staff told us they felt any complaints would be explored thoroughly by the registered manager. One staff member commented, “[Registered manager] is approachable. Yes, I can complain, and I think the complaint would be dealt with.”

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 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. There were suggestion boxes for relatives and staff. The registered manager told us in an email, ‘There is a suggestion box in reception for relatives and a suggestion box for staff in the staff room. The relative suggestion box has been used to advise of any suggestions re repairs, inform of positive practice from the team, suggestion of activities. The staff suggestion box has fed into the you said we did board outcomes. 'You Said, We Did' is a phrase used to describe how the management team actively listen to feedback, act, and then share the results to show they have listened. There was a ‘you said, we did’ board in reception showing actions taken in response to feedback.

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 Eachstep Blackburn 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. The registered manager showed evidence that everyone could access physical and emotional care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Health and social care professionals did not have any concerns about people's access to planned and unplanned treatment when they needed it.

The registered manager had processes to ensure people had access to care needs reviewed in a way that worked for them. They supported health professionals when they visited the home, advocated for people in multi-disciplinary clinical meetings that took place, and accompanied people who required support to attend medical appointments.

People told us they had access to health professionals and staff reminded them when appointments were due or supported them to the appointments.

Health professionals were provided with the necessary information and support from staff who knew them well.

The registered manager complied with legal equality and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination. They had regard to the needs of people with different protected characteristics and made reasonable adjustments to support equity in experience and outcomes. They tailored their support to ensure people had positive experiences.

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 it was required to help people have a more dignified and comfortable death.

We discussed visitors access with staff and were told visitors could visit at any time. If someone was at end of life there was a pull out bed that could be used and this had been used to allow families to remain with loved ones.

The provider had supported people to plan for important life changes 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.