Archived: Home from Home Service

Updated 28 December 2016

The “Home from Home” project was a joint improvement programme between an acute NHS care provider and NAViGO Health and Social Care Community Interest Company (a Social Enterprise providing Mental Health services). The project was established in response to the “Healthy Lives Healthy Futures” scheme which was a review of health and care services in Northern Lincolnshire, led by both North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (NEL and NL CCG) in partnership with local health and care organisations. The aim of Healthy Lives Healthy Futures is to look at how an improved health and care system may be developed that delivers safe, high quality and affordable services for the foreseeable future.

The Home from Home Project has focused on improving care pathways for patients admitted to Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby when there was evidence of confusion and/or dementia. Care was provided using an in-reach, out-reach model, providing acute inpatient care in a 15 bedded, dementia friendly environment alongside intensive community support in the service user’s home. The Operational Policy and referral criteria included provision of care to people who were medically stable and also those with palliative care needs.

Prior to our inspection the outreach community support service in patients’ own homes had been stopped therefore our inspection focused on the in-patient unit only.

During our inspection, we visited the ward; we spoke to 13 members of staff including nurses, care support workers, doctors, therapists, domestics and administrators. We also spoke with five patients and three relatives and carers. We looked at the ward environment including the bedrooms, bathroom, dining and other communal areas. We observed lunch being served to patients. We looked at the medical and nursing records of seven patients

Updated 28 December 2016

Overall we rated this service as good. We rated safe as requires improvement;, effective, responsive and well led as good and caring as outstanding. This was because:

We rated safe as requires improvement because we found that whilst patients were protected from avoidable harm and abuse, they were not assessed for all risks. We found that staff compliance with mandatory training was low and we found that some medicines were not kept locked up. However we also found that staffing levels were good and that staff knew how and when to report incidents and that they received feedback and the learning from incidents.

We rated effective as good because we found that there were policies and pathways in place to support staff when caring for patients but these did not always have reference to best practice guidance. Audits were undertaken and when necessary action plans were created. There was clear, effective multi-disciplinary team working and positive collaboration with external partners in care. Staff were qualified but not all had an up to date appraisal.

We rated caring as outstanding because we saw consistently positive interaction between patients and staff and the feedback we received from patients and those close to them was also positive.

We rated responsive as good because services were planned to meet the needs of patients. The patient group cared for were vulnerable, in that they were confused due to an acute illness or they had a diagnosis of dementia. The unit was designed specifically around the needs of these patients. There had been no formal complaints about the service.

We rated well led as good because staff were aware of the vision and strategy for the unit. Staff told us that managers were visible and supportive. We saw that staff and patient engagement was seen as a priority by the provider and staff were encouraged to suggest ideas for improvement and innovation.

Updated 28 December 2016