Eothen Residential Homes - Whitley Bay

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 the last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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 68 (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 that was understood throughout the service and was focused on achieving positive outcomes for people. The culture extended beyond day-to-day care and was demonstrated through its commitment to community engagement, research and innovation. The management team promoted a person-centred, inclusive and compassionate culture where people, staff and partners worked together to improve care and quality of life. Staff consistently described a positive culture and spoke highly of the management team. They told us they enjoyed working at the service, felt valued and respected, and described a strong sense of teamwork where everyone worked towards achieving the best outcomes for people. A staff member said, “We’re all for the residents.” Staff described a culture founded on respect, openness and supporting one another, and people and relatives consistently experienced care which reflected these values. A staff member said, “I hope to continue to work here for a very long time. It is by far one of the best establishments that I have worked for and I’m very happy in my job.”

The management team were capable, compassionate and inclusive. The registered manager was visible, approachable and supportive and inspired confidence among people, staff and external professionals. Staff told us leaders listened to them, supported their wellbeing and kept them informed about developments within the service. A staff member said, “I feel heard by my manager. I can have healthy debate without judgement as no question is a silly one.” People and relatives were positive about how the service was organised and managed and felt reassured by the team. Staff described receiving regular support through supervision, appraisals and informal discussions and said managers were available when guidance was needed. Staff also described supportive management practices when individuals were absent from work or experiencing personal difficulties. Staff benefitted from recognition schemes, wellbeing initiatives and opportunities for professional development. Professionals spoke positively about their relationships with leaders and expressed confidence in the management team's responsiveness and commitment to improvement.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff said they felt able to raise concerns about care or safety and knew who to contact. They were confident their views would be listened to and acted on. Policies were in place to support whistleblowing and promote openness. The management team encouraged open discussion through regular staff meetings, handovers and alternative routes for feedback for staff who could not attend meetings. This approach supported a culture of openness and learning.

The provider could not always demonstrate equitable workforce deployment across the service, particularly overnight. There did not appear to be an equitable deployment of staff across the day and night. Staff described a culture of respect and everyone supporting each other, which the night staff this led to them picking up extra shifts so they home would always be covered. The night staff team was very small so routinely completing additional shifts could have unintended consequences of staff becoming overtired and burnt out. Staff told us they were treated with respect and that diversity was valued. The management team were aware of their responsibilities under equality legislation and aimed to make reasonable adjustments where required. Mandatory equality and diversity training was in place for all staff, with refresher training to maintain awareness of protected characteristics and discrimination.

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. Whilst quality assurance processes, audits and governance systems were in place and demonstrated an intention to drive improvement, these systems had not consistently identified or responded to all areas of concern. Although leadership teams had identified some concerns and demonstrated an intention to improve, governance arrangements had not consistently ensured that records, staffing assurance and risk management processes were effective. This reduced staff’s ability to provide assurance that outcomes were being routinely monitored and used to drive timely improvements. The management team took immediate action to address the issues raised.

Staff worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals to support people’s needs. Staff clearly understood and carried out their duty to work in partnership and provide a seamless service. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Visiting professionals praised staff knowledge and their communication with them. Relatives reported that staff were responsive and approachable, and the home maintained positive relationships with families. Staff supported people to build meaningful connections within their local communities, including accessing social opportunities and developing relationships, which had a positive impact on their confidence and wellbeing.

The provider demonstrated an exceptional commitment to learning, improvement and innovation that consistently improved outcomes and experiences for people. Staff described a culture where innovation was encouraged, ideas were shared openly and these were embedded into practice. Research, learning and continuous improvement were embedded within the culture and were viewed as integral to service development rather than standalone activities. Staff actively participated in national and regional research programmes and maintained strong partnerships with universities and research organisations. This included involvement with the National Care Forum DACHA project and collaborative research exploring how staff clothing influences people's experiences of care. The management team had visited innovative providers in England and overseas and adopted learning to enhance people's wellbeing. For example, following partnership work with another provider, the service introduced wellbeing walks and increased opportunities for people to access their local community. People were actively involved in research and service development, and leaders described research as something undertaken with people rather than about them. This demonstrated a culture of co-production, curiosity and continual improvement which went beyond expected practice.