The Old Rectory

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 improved to 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 71 (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.

Managers created and maintained a positive, open culture where people felt comfortable and accountable. They were visible, approachable, and led by example in their day-to-day interactions with people, families, and staff, keeping expectations clear and in line with the service’s vision.

There was a positive person‑centred culture throughout the service. People using the service, their relatives, and staff consistently reported feeling respected and valued, and they described the service as well managed.

People’s independence was promoted and people felt listened to. One person told us, “I like to be independent. They help me with that by letting me make my own choices.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Everyone we spoke with told us that the managers were approachable and caring. One person told us, “Everyone is fine here. They are all approachable. They do a difficult job very well.” Another person told us, “The management are all good. I would recommend it here to anyone.”

Managers promoted equality, diversity, and inclusion across the service, making sure people’s rights were respected and staff were treated fairly. Staff said managers involved them in how the service was run and were understanding when they had personal issues that were impacting on their wellbeing. The manager gave us some examples of how they had supported staff during periods of personal difficulties. This meant staff felt supported, included, and able to carry out their roles effectively, which had a positive impact on people using the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff told us they felt able to approach management if they had concerns about the quality of care being provided. They said managers would listen and take appropriate action. They were also aware of the whistleblowing process and knew who to contact if they felt their concerns had not been addressed.

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.

Staff told us they were treated fairly and all had equal access to training and support. The manager told us they provided resources to support staff whose first language was not English and invested heavily in staff development, supporting many team members to achieve NVQ qualifications and progress in their careers.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

A range of quality audits were carried out across the service, including night time spot checks to monitor care and the environment. However, these processes had not identified the environmental issues we found during this inspection. In addition, some monitoring records were not always fully completed or detailed, which meant there was a risk of gaps in oversight that could impact the consistency of safety and care delivery.

Governance systems were in place to respond to complaints, and the manager investigated concerns and took appropriate action when issues were raised. However, there were gaps in communication, as outcomes were not always shared with the person who raised the concern or with relevant partner agencies. The manager acknowledged this and told us improvements would be made following the inspection to ensure a more open and consistent approach.

The manager told us the service was taking steps to improve governance and sustainability. This included moving towards paperless supervision and feedback systems to improve accessibility and staff engagement. They had also installed solar panels to support environmental sustainability and reduce the home’s carbon footprint.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The manager told us the service maintained strong safeguarding partnerships and had recently hosted Staffordshire Police and safeguarding professionals on site for 2 days to support safeguarding enquiries and promote openness and transparency.

The provider demonstrated effective partnership working by supporting the wider health and social care system, including accepting emergency admissions at short notice. The manager told us about a recent late-night safeguarding admission where management remained on site overnight to ensure the person was safely admitted and settled. This showed a flexible and responsive approach, working collaboratively with partner agencies to ensure people received timely and appropriate care when it was most needed.

The provider worked closely with other agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for people using the service. Staff told us they knew who to contact when specialist advice was needed and had developed strong working relationships with a range of health and social care professionals with relevant expertise.

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.

Although not all audits were fully effective, where they did identify concerns or issues, action was taken to address these and drive improvement. The manager was responsive to feedback during the inspection and acted promptly to make required changes. For example, in response to concerns about hot water temperature records, they explained, “To further strengthen oversight, we have now implemented a room checklist system for our maintenance operative to complete during the month, ensuring there is a clear audit trail showing each room has been checked.”

This meant there was a culture of learning and continuous improvement, with the service identifying areas for development and taking steps to prevent similar issues happening again.