Swarthdale Nursing 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 provider met people’s needs.

At the last assessment we rated this key question as requires improvement at this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery. Improvements made since the last inspection included care being more personalised and people could access a variety of meaningful sociable activities.

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 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. Care plans were reflective of the person-centred care we observed. People’s individual requests were seen to be acted on. People and those close to them were regularly involved in planning and making shared decisions about care and treatment. One person told us, “When I came here someone wrote down all the things I like, including my hobbies and what I like to eat.” A relative said, “I was asked a lot about my relative when they came here and I was involved in deciding what she preferred.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. People and relatives, we spoke with were very satisfied with the care and treatment the home was providing. The quality leads for the local commissioners we spoke with had no concerns currently with the care provision. People’s care and treatment was delivered in a way which met their assessed needs from services that were co-ordinated and responsive.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Relatives told us they were kept informed when changes happened in peoples’ care needs. Information in the home was kept securely. Care records were mainly kept and managed electronically. People’s individual needs had been assessed and information was provided in an accessible way and in line with the Accessible Information Standard.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. People’s concerns and complaints were recorded and responded to. People and their relatives were provided with opportunities to give feedback. A relative said, “The care plan is checked regularly especially since the change of management. We can voice our opinions when we feel it necessary. The staff are always willing to chat about my relative and their care.”

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The provider prioritised and allocated resources and opportunities as needed to tackle inequalities and achieve equity of access. There were staff available on a bank system should they be needed to cover regular staff absence. There was an on-call system covered by the senior management team which staff could call on during out of office hours.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. People were treated equally, and their care and treatment was adapted to meet their individual needs. A relative told us, “My relative took a while to settle in but the home tried hard to give them what they wanted.”

People were supported to plan for important life changes. Staff supported them to make informed choices about their care and plan their future care while they had the capacity to do so or with their legal representatives. We saw people’s wishes for their end-of-life care and treatment had been discussed and recorded.