Primrose Lodge Weymouth

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 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 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 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.

The provider had established a positive culture that was person-centred, transparent, inclusive and empowering. Leaders, managers and staff we spoke with demonstrated good understanding of equality, diversity and human rights, and explained how they prioritised safe, high-quality, compassionate care. Leaders and managers shaped the culture by engaging with staff, people, their relatives and others important to them and with other stakeholders. They genuinely welcomed feedback, even if it was critical, and demonstrated what action had been taken in response. People were involved in or consulted about reviews of concerns, accidents, incidents and adverse events and in planning to prevent similar incidents in the future.

We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff about the management team. Staff told us that leaders and managers were available, consistent, supportive and led by example. Comments included, “Management work very hard to make sure that Primrose Lodge is run well and efficiently and supporting residents and staff alike as required.”

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.

All managers and staff we spoke with expressed their passion for the home and for what they were aspiring to achieve – good quality care with positive outcomes for the people who lived there. Everyone who worked at Primrose Lodge had a part to play in this, which was appreciated and acknowledged by the management team. Staff told us they were supported at work, encouraged to question practices and suggest new ideas or initiatives to help continually improve their practice. Staff were also supported in their personal lives.

We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff about managers at every level. A member of staff told us, “Management have always been really supportive and approachable. If there is a problem they will try and resolve it and make you feel supported. They give us good moral support and praise us and make us feel appreciated.”

The registered manager was passionate about the home and was aware of their role and responsibilities. They spoke positively about the support they received from the provider and told us they felt well supported by the director of operations, they had a good working relationship and could contact them at any time.

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

The provider had whistleblowing policy in place and procedures for staff to actively raise concerns, which were effectively embedded. There was a positive culture of speaking up. Staff forums and team meeting minutes evidenced staff were given the opportunity to speak up and drive improvements. There was also evidence of action taken in response to feedback from staff. All the staff we spoke with felt confident to actively raise concerns, without fear of detriment. Leaders were open to feedback and staff felt supported and encouraged to speak up and raise concerns about the quality of care. Staff had opportunity to raise concerns anonymously. The registered manager told us, “We are known not to be a blame culture but a culture of owning mistakes and learning lesson from them. We have not had any whistleblowers in a while but in the past have ensured they would be protected as far possible. We are transparent and actively encourage people to come forward with any concerns.”

Staff were aware of the term ‘freedom to speak up’ and how to execute this freedom. We saw posters around the premises actively encouraging staff to voice concerns. A staff member told us, “[Management] are very approachable. If we have any issues or need to talk about anything, I or anyone concerned can speak to them about anything. They will listen and act.”

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.

The provider had an equal opportunities and equality and diversity policy which they ensured all staff read on commencement of their employment and staff were kept updated with any changes to these. People were supported by a diverse workforce from different cultures and backgrounds. Staff spoken with all felt they were treated fairly and with respect.

The registered manager engaged with staff to involve them with the running of the service. They had an open-door policy, staff meetings, and worked alongside staff so they could speak openly. The provider invested in the development of staff and worked hard to retain them. Many of the staff had long service at the home and told us they were supported well by their colleagues and enjoyed their job. Management ensured equality of opportunity and experience for the workforce within their place of work, and throughout their employment. Staff morale was high, and staff spoke positively about how they worked as a team and were supported. Comments from staff included, “The staff all help each other and have a good work bond together.”

The provider 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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had clear and effective governance, management and accountability arrangements. The registered manager told us they were involved in recent development of the colour coded file system called ‘SCREW’ which stands for Safe, Caring, Responsive, Effective and Well-led and had a yearly planner of quality audit, spot checks and overviews. Various audits and quality assurance systems were effective in identifying and managing risks to the quality of the service. They were used to drive improvement within the service. Staff we spoke to had clear understanding of their role and responsibilities, were highly motivated and had confidence in their leaders and managers.

The management team was well established and were continuing to work on improvements and strengthening their oversight of the home. Leadership was multi-layered and various audits and checks meant the home was seeking continued improvement. Legal requirements, including about conditions of registration and managers, were understood and met.

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 provider was transparent, collaborative and open with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies. Staff worked in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, service development and joined-up care and to improve people's experiences, health, and wellbeing. The provider established effective processes to ensure partnership working with people, relatives and health professionals was maintained. We received positive feedback about working in partnership from all 4 health and social care professionals who responded to our request. Comments from partners included, “They usually seek help promptly from medical staff and ensure we are kept up to date regarding any changes” and “Primrose Lodge is a well-kept home and appears to me a happy place. Whilst the staff are busy, they always have time to chat to me and are always taking me to see my clients. The residents are all well dressed, clean and are usually occupied. By that I mean they seem to go out on trips as well as doing activities in the home. All in all, I feel it is a well-run, clean and cheerful home where the residents appear to be very happy.”

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.

The provider measured and reviewed the delivery of care against good practice guidance. The registered manager was able to easily monitor people’s care from the electronic records and identify any areas that needed to be addressed and raised those with staff. There was a clear system to oversee falls, accidents and incidents. Concerns and complaints were investigated in a sensitive and confidential way, and lessons were shared with all staff and acted on.

Leaders actively encouraged staff to speak up with ideas for improvement and innovation and actively invested time to listen and engage. Staff said they were able to share ideas in their supervision meetings, staff forums and staff meetings. A staff member told us, “We have regular supervisions with management, and they are always happy to listen to any concerns we may have and provide any training we feel we need to improve in our role.”

The provider ensured good practice was shared and acted on throughout the service and within wider organisation. The registered manager attended regular managers’ meetings and managers’ workshops. Meeting minutes showed best practices were discussed and lessons learned shared widely with other managers. Agendas for workshops included any issues relating to risk, health and safety, training and staffing, quality assurance and recruitment processes, yearly analysis of compliments and complaints with a strong emphasis on building good partnerships with professionals and other agencies.