Yew Tree Cottage Residential Home

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted good-quality care.

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 which was understood by people, relatives and staff, and helped to create a positive experience of care. People and relatives described the home as a “lovely place to live” and said they felt safe and well cared for. One person said, “It’s a comfortable and safe place to be. You don’t have to worry.”

Staff interactions with people were warm and affectionate, and we saw an extremely clean, well-maintained environment. One relative told us, “It's a lovely small home. This suits [name] much better than one of the bigger homes. It's really nice to have found a small family type home for her to live in.” Governance arrangements supported this culture and helped managers keep oversight of how the home was run.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead the service effectively, and they led with openness and integrity.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the home and had established a small ‘extended family’ type of home for older people. The registered manager regularly worked on shift caring for people, as they were on the day we visited. People spoke highly of the managers. One person said, “I wouldn’t say friends as such, but [the registered manager] is good fun and I’m very fond of her.”

Staff said they felt valued, well supported and that morale and teamwork were very good. Relatives were very positive about how the home was run and the quality of care, and compliments received by the service reflected compassionate leadership and staff commitment. One relative said, “I do see [the registered manager and their spouse] when I visit. I get on with them well and I've also got a good relationship with [name], the deputy manager."

The provider had an open culture where people, relatives and staff felt able to speak up.

People and relatives said they knew how to raise issues and felt confident that any concerns would be taken seriously and acted upon.

One person said they would tell someone if they were not happy and hoped action would be taken, and staff said they would raise any concerns with the managers. One staff member told us, “If I had any concerns I would bring it up with [the registered manager or the deputy manager].” They had never had any concerns and said the home, “A million percent would be good enough for my family.” This supported a culture where open and honest feedback could be shared and responded to.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider had developed an inclusive workforce and recognised the value of diversity amongst the team. To support this, they provided work experience placements for trainee nurses and children from local schools to gain some experience of social care. They also had an art student who had worked at the home helping to support art projects. One person who had completed a placement had commented they had been, “Impressed and inspired by the high standards of care provided.”

Staff reported a positive, inclusive workplace where they felt respected and listened to, and they valued the supportive culture.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider took action when issues were identified. For example, minor improvements were highlighted around medicines management and recruitment recording.

The registered manager and provider demonstrated good oversight of the service. Regular audits informed action plans and supported continuous improvement, such as recent external redecoration of the home and updating the provider’s website to improve information about the home and accessibility of the website.

The registered manager understood their responsibility under duty of candour to be open and honest if/when things went wrong. Notifications of accidents, incidents or safeguarding concerns were submitted in line with legal requirements.

Feedback from people, relatives and staff was very positive and demonstrated strong governance arrangements, effective leadership, and a person‑centred culture.

The provider worked well with external professionals to support people to access the right care and maintain continuity.

Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals and understood the importance of working alongside others who offered support and guidance. For example, staff worked with the LARCH team, an NHS team who “Worked collaboratively with care homes so that residents receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place, by the right people.”

People also described support to attend healthcare appointments, including staff arranging and supporting attendance. This joined-up working helped people receive consistent, good quality care and support.

The home was well established in the local community. They had good links with local schools, with other local care providers and were members of the local care providers association.

The provider had a learning culture and used opportunities to improve. Lessons were learnt if things went wrong, including following accidents or incidents. Where issues were identified, managers responded by making improvements.

The provider had changed their GP service to another health centre;the registered manager told us the service had “improved dramatically” as a result. Medicines management had also been improved by changing the service provider.

This showed the service was able to identify areas for improvement and take steps to address them.