Poplars Care 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.

The last rating for this key question was 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 high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

There was a positive and inclusive culture at the service. People living there, relatives, staff and external professionals felt the service was well run. People felt valued, listened to and included. A relative commented, “Staff show a very high level of respect towards everyone, including visitors.” A professional told us, “I think staff are doing their jobs amazingly well. The ambience is lovely.”

Staff explained they felt supported and enjoyed working at the service. Their comments included, “I am praised for the work I do”, “I enjoy working here, it is like a family” and “The senior leadership team is kind and compassionate. They share the responsibility of running the home with us. They are not afraid of stepping into the work and helping out.”

The provider employed capable and inclusive leaders. The registered manager, director and other senior staff knew people who lived at the service and staff well. They were involved in the day to day running of the service. They had undertaken relevant qualifications and were experienced in their roles. People using the service, relatives, staff and external professionals told us they found managers approachable and supportive.

Comments from people and their relatives included, “Managers are easy to talk to” and “I have individual chats with [a manager] and it is really helpful.”

An external professional told us. “I believe the service is well managed.”

Comments from staff included, “Managers encourage staff to talk to them and give our ideas about the service”, “Managers look for solutions” and “It is a well-run home with a high level of values. There is a lot of effort put into thinking of strategies to improve the lives of people who live here.”

The provider had procedures to enable staff and others to speak up if they had concerns about the service. Managers regularly discussed these with staff. Posters were displayed around the service giving information about how to speak up. There were also QR codes which connected to forms where staff, people using the service or visitors could record their feedback and any concerns.

Comments from staff included, “I know about whistle blowing and when this should be done. The registered manager promotes this and actively encourages us to speak up” and “There is freedom of speech here. I am confident any of the managers would listen to me.”

The provider had procedures to ensure staff were well treated and their equality and diversity needs were met and respected. Staff told us they were able to request flexible working and time off when needed which helped to meet their individual needs and ensure they felt included. A staff member commented, “I feel like there is no difference made between skin colour or ethnicity here. There is facility made for praying during the day and extra breaks for fasting.” Staff explained their culture and religion were celebrated and they were able to share this with others and learn about other cultures.

The provider had effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. These included a range of regular audits. Managers took appropriate action when concerns were identified through audits, reviews of care or feedback from others.

People using the service were asked to complete a range of surveys about different experiences. These included surveys of care, food, and dining experience.

The registered manager conducted spot checks to observe staff providing care. They considered whether staff were obtaining consent, providing compassionate care and treating people with respect. We saw evidence that managers supported staff to learn how to improve through extra training, supervision and guidance.

Audits and checks focussed on the quality of care people received, outcomes and their wellbeing.

Staff worked very closely with external professionals to make sure people received support from health and social care services. External professionals explained staff were good at sharing information and following their guidance. There had been improvements to people’s health, wellbeing and emotional state because of this.

Staff had established strong connections with local places of worship, day centres and community services. They supported people to attend activities outside the home. People explained how they had celebrated their own culture and those of others.

The provider recognised the importance of intergenerational activities. They had well established links with a local nursery. The children visited the service each month to take part in different themed activities with people who lived there. Managers told us this had improved people’s mental and physical wellbeing. As a result, there had been less incidents of people becoming anxious or challenging the service.

Staff supported 1 person to set up their own charity fundraising event. They had carried out a series of sponsored walks and were joined by others from the local community with this. They had raised a large amount of money for a charity supporting people with a specific health condition, and had recognition from the local mayor for their dedication to this project.

The provider owned community passes to local places of interest and organised regular outings. They worked with staff at these venues to ensure there was good access for people, and they had a positive personalised experience.

Students on work experience supported people at the service. Managers told us they wanted to reward these volunteers and also provide them with skills and knowledge that they could use in future careers. They provided training, guidance and enrolled them on a recognition scheme. They encouraged people who lived at the service to celebrate the successes of the students and take part in recognition of their skills and learning.

People living at the service, visitors and staff explained how the partnership working with local communities had a positive impact on their lives and the service.

Managers understood the importance of continuous learning and improvement. Both the director and registered manager had undertaken enhanced training to understand about best practice with dementia care. They used specially developed observational tools to assess the quality of care for people at the service and consider their experience from the person’s perspective. They shared learning with relatives and staff to ensure everyone involved in caring for people understood and committed to making improvements based on what was right for the individual person. Managers were able to tell us about positive outcomes for people as a result of this work. Staff responsible for facilitating activities had joined a professional network for activity provision. They shared learning and ideas with others in the network to help make sure the organised activities reflected best practice for the groups of people they supported. They told us they were continually learning from others. For example, they explained people living at the service, and members of public had provided inspiration for trying new things. The provider took part in national research about dementia. This helped ensure those conducting the research could learn from the experience of those living and working at the service. The provider had introduced different strategies and used equipment in creative ways to help meet people’s needs. For example, they had used weighted blankets to help reduce people’s anxiety and stress. They supported people to take part in jobs at the service to reflect their interests. Managers told us these initiatives had a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. The provider responded to feedback from others and through their own audits to make improvements to the service. They had increased staffing levels following feedback from staff and people using the service. The additional member of staff each day was given extra responsibilities and lead roles to learn about different aspects of the service and to share learning with others. This role rotated and the registered manager told us, “All staff have the opportunity to step up and learn more about best practice.” Staff were able to contribute their ideas and feedback. A staff member explained, “It feels like we are all in this together and everyone wants to improve their skills.” The service was 1 of 6 care homes involved in a regional project to promote and improve the health and wellbeing of people living in care homes through music and songs. The project helped develop new software which could be used for singing activities. People living at the service helped contribute to the playlist of recorded songs for wider distribution. Staff took part in regular training. This was organised and adapted to reflect outcomes from the provider’s quality assurance processes. A staff member commented, “I am encouraged to continuously learn and develop. We are notified of training which may be of interests.”