The Towans 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.
At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating remained good. This meant the management and leadership was consistent. Leaders and the culture they created supported the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
 

This service scored 79 (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.
People were positive about living at the home. Comments from people included, “It is a wonderful place to be”, “The home is fantastic, they are all marvellous”, and “It is a very, very good home.”
Our observations of interactions between people and staff were positive. The registered manager had a good understanding of the needs of the people being supported.
Staff spoke positively about working at the service and the people who lived there. One staff member told us, “Everyone gets on well, everyone is friendly. It’s a real mix of staff, a good team, the senior team work well together. It doesn’t feel like a care home, it feels like a family, it’s nice here.” Another staff member commented, “It’s a nice home, morale has been boosted and we have a good team.” Staff were aware of the aims of the service and delivered care and support in line with them.
 

The service had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.
The registered manager and provider were passionate about delivering high standards and compassionate, person-centred care which empowered people.
Staff felt supported and were positive about the management and support they received. One staff member told us, “I cannot fault [Name of registered manager]. They are brilliant, any issues or problems in work or out of work, they are always there. They will always help out as well.” Another staff member told us, “[Name of registered manager] is very good, approachable and works well with the deputy manager. [Name of provider] is always here, they are very hands on. If I was to text [name of provider] with a problem they would be straight on the phone; it’s really nice.”
People and relatives knew who the registered manager was and felt able to approach them. One person told us, “[Name of registered manager] is excellent.”
The registered manager had been nominated for The Community Award at The West Country Women Awards 2026. The nomination stated, “[Name of registered manager] is an exceptional leader whose impact reaches far beyond the walls of our residential care home in Somerset. As our registered manager, they have transformed not only the lives of the residents in our care, but also the wellbeing of their families, our staff team, and even the wider health and social care community.”
The provider had been named the ‘Most Influential Elderly Care Business Leader 2026 (South West England)’ and received the ‘Values-Led Leadership Excellence Award 2026’. This acknowledged their approach to providing compassionate care tailored to the individual and providing a "home from home" environment.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The service had a whistle blowing policy in place. Staff were aware of the whistle blowing policy and felt they could raise concerns with the registered manager and were confident they would be listened to.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. The registered manager gave examples of how they supported staff with protected characteristics and specific learning needs. Staff told us they were treated equally and fairly and thought it was a good place to work.

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 and checks carried out by the provider and registered manager. Audits included, safeguarding, incidents and accidents, medicines and health and safety. The audits identified areas of improvement and had action plans. The provider had a service action plan detailing any improvements and works required.
The provider completed a quarterly risk register governance review to review the operational risks, any emerging risks and actions required. This covered areas such as, staffing, training, falls, pressure care, resident wellbeing and health and safety.
 

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.
The registered manager and provider gave examples of how they engaged in the local community and partnership working. This included external speakers being invited into the home to talk to people about specific subjects of interest such as a railway enthusiast. People were also involved in attending the local carnival and developing links with local community groups. They had also arranged for people to engage in letter exchanges and had links with a local ukulele group.
A summer fete had been arranged and was attended by people, their relatives, staff, neighbours, local representatives and members of the wider community. The provider told us the event was well attended and money was raised for a local youth charity. One person told us, “The fete was brilliant, everyone was happy, there were children, it was lovely.”
The registered manager and deputy manager attended a community mental health partnership event to learn about the counselling and mental-health support available. An outcome from this was discussion about how the home could enable people to access counselling support including where they were unable to travel to external appointments.
 

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people.
The service used digital innovation regarding falls prevention. This included using AI to detect and analyse movements and falls, enabling interventions to be carried out to help prevent any further falls.
Discussions with the management team and staff demonstrated they recognised the importance of learning lessons and continuous improvement to ensure people received care and support that was safe and effective.
The registered manager and provider were committed to making ongoing improvements to the service.