Westdale Residential 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. This service has previously been rated good. It is has been 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.

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. A relative told us, “The staff treat all the people living there as people and they’re very focussed on the individual person.”

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. The registered manager explained that Westdale Care Home was designed to support people who may find it difficult to live in their own homes, but felt too independent for traditional care home environments. These people were supported to be as independent as possible. They still received some support with personal care, however the building was not adapted to support higher level mental or physical health needs. This included main doors not being locked, and adapted facilities not being in place. People explained that they liked this model of care, and were made very clear about this potential for needing to move to alternative accommodation if their needs developed.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People were supported with a written ‘welcome pack’ when they arrived. A person told us that when they moved in, staff were very supportive in verbally explaining the care home structure. They felt that all information was provided to them clearly.

The service 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. Regular meetings were held with people to gather their feedback about the service. In these meetings, the agenda was decided by people living at the care home, and the meeting was chaired by a person living in the home too. Regular managerial board meetings occurred, these included the attendance of a person living at Westdale Care Home. People fed back that this allowed them to understand the way the home was run and put forward their views.

The service made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service was not designed to support people with higher mental or physical health needs. People were aware of this when they moved into Westdale Care home. However, the management team worked hard to support people’s needs for as long as possible. This included supporting people to move to more accessible areas of the home, or receive end of life treatment if needed and possible.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored care, support and treatment in response to this. One person had been supported to engage with the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer community (LGBTQ+). This included supporting the person to take part in activism and promoting conversations about diversity with other people at the service. The service had proactively sought out ways to reduce barriers to care, as members of the LGBTQ+ community had attended to provide tailored training and discussions for the staff and people living at Westdale. People were confident that the LGBTQ+ work was used to inform improvements in wider care. The care home had engaged in a university research study to promote positive outcomes for people who identify as LGBTQ+. A person’s relative told us ‘The staff are incredibly switched on to addressing any homophobia. They quietly observe and are alert to any issues.’

People were 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. The service generally supported people with lower-level needs. If people’s needs became higher, they would usually move on to alternative services to receive increased support. People explained that they were supported to do this and plan for future moves out of the care home. The registered manager explained that some people expressed that they wanted end of life care at the care home. This could be difficult due to the building layout impacting the use of some equipment. However, where the person’s end of life needs could be accommodated; then staff had previously supported this with support from local health and social care professionals. We spoke to visiting health professionals, who feedback positively about how this support had been offered. They said, “It is clear that they have followed our advice conscientiously, allowing for good and dignified deaths to be achieved by several of their residents.”