The Limes

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

People are supported in a person-centred manner in line with their individual needs and preferences. Staff support people to understand information in line with the ways they communicate. People are supported to follow their interests and take part in past times which interest them both at the service and out in the community.

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.

People received person centred support from a staff team who knew them well. Support was tailored to people in line with their preferences, likes and dislikes as well as their support needs. We observed staff supporting people in line with their support plans. Relative’s comments included, ‘‘[Staff’s] focus is on person centred care. It is all about what [family member] needs and how best to support them.’’ and, ‘‘[Staff] know [family member] as well as I do which is saying something as they lived with me for such a long time.’’ Staff fully understood the principles of person-centred care and how to apply this in practice. They spoke confidently about how best to support people and knew what was important to people. The registered manager and staff team put care plans in place, and these were very detailed, and person centred. They gave a thorough overview of peoples support needs and how best to support them in any given circumstance.

People were supported by a consistent staff team who had gotten to know them well. As a result of this consistency people had good outcomes. It was clear from our observations people knew staff well. One person had learnt to say staff’s names verbally and enjoyed speaking with us about who they saw on a day-to-day basis. A relative said, ‘‘[Family member] is very well looked after and has great relationships with all the staff because he knows who they are. Staff have worked with them for a long time.’’ The staff and management team helped ensure people were cared for with continuity, for example by creating care plans for hospital staff that contained essential information about how to support people. Any changes to people’s care and support needs were shared with staff, relatives, and professionals to help ensure continuity of care.

People were supported in line with their communication needs. Staff were trained in communication methods such as using signs and objects and also knew how to communicate verbally with people in a way that supported them to understand what was being said to them. A relative said, ‘‘When [family member] first moved in staff spent a lot of time learning what the words they said meant and how they used signs to get their points across. This meant they understood what was happening from the beginning.’’ The registered manager and staff team placed signs around the service to support people to orientate and know where they were. The registered manager had produced care and support plans for people in an ‘easy read’ format. These were very detailed and contained a lot of pictures to help people understand the contents of their support plans. Policies and procedures were also available in an easy-read format.

People and their relatives were asked to feedback about the service both formally and informally. People were involved in regular discussions with staff, however staff also listened to them on a day-to-day basis as they supported them. Relatives were also asked to feedback about the service and their loved one’s support in meetings but knew they could contact the staff team at any point. A relative said, ‘‘[Staff] always make sure I am happy with everything. I am so happy we found the service.’’ Staff and the management team were passionate about listening to people and their relatives and acting on their feedback. The management and staff team had worked hard to make sure people were involved in all aspects of their support and were at the centre of any decisions made. For example, staff had supported people to identify specific goals and put plans in place to achieve these. Evidence such as photos showed the significant impact this had for people. One relative said, ‘‘[Family members] confidence keeps improving and staff keep motivating them to try and learn new things.’’

The management and staff team understood the importance of people being a part of their local community. People were supported to access and be a part of the community on a daily basis to pursue their social interests and past times. Staff had worked with people to support them to access the community whereas previously they had been hesitant to do so. For example, one person now used public transport and showed us using signs how much they enjoyed this. This had been a gradual process which staff had supported them with. A relative said, ‘‘Getting out and about is very important to [family member] and staff support them to go out all the time. Staff always let me know what they enjoy and then they do this on a regular basis. It’s wonderful for them.’’ Staff supported people to access services such as hospitals, dentists, and other health services. Staff ensured people’s support needs were known to health professionals and advocated for them whilst at appointments. One relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] know person so well and I am confident and secure knowing staff are always with them when they access other service.’’ The registered manager and staff team ensured people had care plans for when they used other services so staff working in them knew how best to support people.

Thanks to the outstanding support people received at the service they had been supported to have excellent outcomes. There were numerous examples of how people’s quality of life had improved drastically since being supported at the service. People needed to be supported with physical restraint in the past and this was no longer necessary thanks to the support of the staff team. The registered manager showed us evidence of how one person’s life had changed since they stopped using the physical restraints they were using. This person used to be upset a lot of the time but was now happy and content, living a full and active life. One person had been supported to overcome their worries and anxieties about leaving the service. Staff had worked with the person to get a set routine in place which included the person being involved in organising their finances for leaving the service with. This had massively increased the persons independence and they now accessed the community frequently. These persons relative said, ‘‘It is amazing how far [family member] has come since living at the service. Consistency has been the key and staff have worked hard to give support to the very highest standards.’’ People living at the service were living with specific support needs which meant they needed support with multiple areas of daily living. Thanks the staff team people were happy and content and had been supported to reduce how often they felt upset and anxious. This has resulted in excellent outcomes for people. One relative told us, ‘‘[Provider and staff team] are 100% invested in helping make sure [family member] live their best life. The Limes is an exemplary service. It is unbelievable the difference in [family member] since they started living at the service. They are so happy, and I cannot remember the last time they felt unwell. This is a testament to the staff team.’’

People living at the service were young and there were no concerns they may need support to plan for the end of their life. However, the registered manager and staff team had started discussions with people and their relatives about what may be important to people if they needed this level of support. The registered manager and staff team worked with people to put plans in place for the future. For example, people were planning to go on holiday and to visit places that interested them. Staff revisited these plans with people regularly to make sure people still wanted to do what they planned and to plan new goals. A relative said, ‘‘Since living at the service [family member] has done so much. Much more than what they would have been able to do before.’’