Casterbridge Lodge

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.
 

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 service 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.

Staff and leaders demonstrated a listening culture which promoted trust and understanding with people using the service. The culture was focused on learning and improvement and there was respect between leadership and staff.

The registered manager ensured any risks to delivering good care were understood and embedded improvements made following the service’s previous inspection to make continued improvements. The registered manager told us they were “fully supported” by the provider to make positive changes.

The service 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.

Staff told inspectors they were proud to work at the service and described their experience of leadership at Casterbridge Lodge as; “The registered manager sorts things out. If there is a problem, we address it, we learn from it and there is no one here who is unsupportive at all. I feel respected and valued.” Another member of staff said, “Since the last inspection, the registered manager has put more in place for new staff as a team we have increased our knowledge and have more and more training in everything we need.”
 

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

Staff knew how to raise concerns and access support. The service had regular team meetings, supervisions and appraisals. Staff consistently told us they felt able to discuss their concerns, views and ideas with the registered manager, “The registered manager’s door is always open.”

Casterbridge Lodge had policies and procedures in place to support staff to speaking up and raise concerns. This included up to date policies in relation to safeguarding and whistleblowing.
 

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

Policies and procedures incorporated all aspects of recruitment and staffing and included retention plans, equality, diversity, fairness and protected characteristics. Support and reasonable adjustments were made for staff as and when needed.

A staff member told us, “There have been vast improvements since the last inspection, we’ve come together as a team and are all here for our residents, it truly is a family.” Another stated, “I felt able to take on additional responsibility such as covering on call and I feel humbled to be trusted with that responsibility on behalf of the home.”

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

There were a range of audits, analysis and checks within the service, which supported safety and quality. Risks to people's safety were well managed and monitored. Audits of people’s individual health demonstrated follow up actions were taken to enhance the wellbeing of the individual with appropriate referrals made to health and social care professionals who could provide specialist support as necessary.

The registered manager and provider had made all notifications to CQC as required by law. A notification is the action that a provider is legally bound to take to tell us about any changes to their regulated services or incidents that have taken place in them.
 

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

People said staff supported them to remain active members of the local church, and community if they wished to do so. A person told us, “I couldn’t live here without laughter. There is always something going on.”

Policies and procedures provided clear guidance for staff to support joint working with professionals and the local community.
 

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

Regular feedback from people and their relatives was sought by the service and the registered manager provided examples of how learning opportunities had been identified when reflecting on, safeguarding events, accidents and incidents.

A person told us, “If something’s not right, I know the registered manager would do everything in their power to make it better. You tell them and they’ll fix it. They have never forgotten me.”