Elmwood Residential Home Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to Good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

The service was previously in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance. The provider had ensured the service was now well led, and this regulation was complied with.

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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider and registered manager had worked hard to develop the culture of the home since the last assessment. People and their relatives spoke very highly of the warmth and kindness of the staff team, and how they were treated with dignity and respect. One relative said, “There is a great warmth and friendliness in the home, and all of the staff appear very happy in their jobs and have a great connection with the residents.”

We received positive feedback from people, relatives and staff about the leadership team at Elmwood and the changes since the last assessment. Staff were very positive about working at the service and felt well supported with regular supervisions and staff meetings. The registered manager was continuing to build on this and had developed a policy to promote positive mental health in the workplace and reduce work related stress.

The management team were described as approachable and supportive. Staff were confident they would be listened to and any concerns quickly addressed. The Director was described as ‘hands on’ and willing to listen to any ideas to improve the lives of residents. A member of staff commented, “I feel comfortable speaking with management whenever needed. They are approachable, supportive and always willing to listen to staff. There is good communication within the team, and management encourage staff to share ideas or raise any concerns.”

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

At the previous assessment we found quality assurance systems were not always effective in identifying areas for improvement. There were now robust quality assurance systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of care.

The provider had worked with the local authority quality assurance team and commissioned specialist software to improve governance at the service. There were plans to further strengthen auditing processes by training some senior staff to undertake some aspects.

A comprehensive programme of audits was in place covering all aspects of service provision. This included a 2 monthly audit carried out by the provider to review the progress being made.

The views of people using the service, their relatives and staff were sought and used to inform this process. Their feedback was analysed and acted on.

The effectiveness of governance processes was documented in the service improvement plan, with clear evidence of actions taken and progress made.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The registered manager had signed the service up for a research project with Plymouth University looking at nutrition in care homes and was keen to get involved in future studies. They told us, “Doing that means we are not stagnant in the care we provide.”

Staff were supported to develop and progress through access to training and ongoing learning. This learning was being used to improve the quality and safety of the service, for example through the use of apprenticeships and the creation of Champion’ roles in a range of areas. In addition, the management team were completing further qualifications to develop their leadership skills. A member of staff commented, “One thing I really appreciate is that Elmwood offers staff many opportunities to develop. There are regular training sessions and learning opportunities, and management are very supportive when it comes to staff wanting to grow in their roles and improve their skills in care.”