Polebank Hall Residential 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 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.

Leaders and staff demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring people received person-centred care and showed a clear understanding of the importance of delivering support that reflected people's individual needs, preferences, wishes and choices. Staff and leaders knew people well and were dedicated to ensuring they received high-quality care that promoted positive outcomes, independence and wellbeing. Their approach reflected a genuine commitment to providing care that was tailored to each person's unique circumstances and aspirations.

People's needs, preferences and desired outcomes were clearly reflected within their care plans, which contained detailed information to guide staff in delivering personalised care and support.

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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders demonstrated a very strong understanding of the service, including its strengths, the challenges it faced, and the areas requiring improvement. The registered manager was very receptive to feedback and demonstrated a clear commitment to ensuring that improvements identified through both their own quality assurance processes and the inspection were addressed promptly and effectively. They provided a detailed action plan, alongside relevant evidence of work already undertaken and further actions planned to support the required improvements. This demonstrated a proactive approach to service development and a commitment to improving the quality and safety of care provided to people using the service.

Where concerns or instances of poor practice had been identified, leaders took appropriate steps to investigate and address them.

The provider showed a willingness to reflect on the quality of the service and implement changes where necessary. This demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and to ensuring people received safe, effective and person-centred care.

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

There were policies and procedures in place to support speaking up. People, relatives and staff told us they felt able to raise concerns and speak openly with the provider. One relative told us, “The senior staff and management take things very seriously. I have a lot of confidence in the management structure, and I have developed a good relationship with staff.” Another relative told us, “The manager gave me their personal phone number and asked me to contact them whenever I wanted out of normal hours if I feel anxious about anything.”

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 worked in line with the Equality Act 2010 and prompted equality, diversity, and inclusion within the service. Policies and procedures were in place to support equality of opportunity, prevent discrimination and ensure people received care in a fair, respectful and equitable manner. The provider employed a diverse group of staff and recognised the value of different backgrounds, experiences and perspective within the workforce.

Staff was encouraged to share their views through different opportunities such as team meetings, appraisals and supervisions. The register manager told us, “My door is always open for staff if they want to talk.”

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.

At the time of the inspection, there was a registered manager in post. They were visible within the service and actively involved in its day-to-day operation. The registered manager demonstrated a very good understanding of people's individual needs and the support they required. They were committed to ensuring people received safe, effective and person-centred care that met their needs and promoted positive outcomes.

Governance and oversight systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. We saw evidence that audits and quality assurance checks had identified some of the issues found during this inspection. The registered manager provided a detailed action plan which demonstrated the improvements that had already been made, as well as those scheduled

for completion. This showed a proactive approach to continuous improvement and a commitment to addressing identified concerns in a timely and effective manner.

The provider had a succession plan in place to support staff development and progression within their roles. This helped to ensure the service maintained strong leadership arrangements and promoted continuity within the management team.

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 developed links with a number of stakeholders and local community partners to ensure these relationships benefited people they supported.

The provider understood the value of involving others whose expertise and knowledge contributed to improving outcomes for people.

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.

There were processes and procedures in place to promote a positive learning culture within the organisation. We saw evidence that lessons learned were recorded, reviewed and monitored to support continuous improvement and inform service development.

The registered manager demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring that identified areas for improvement were addressed promptly, and an ongoing action plan was in place to support this. They spoke positively about recent changes to the provider's oversight arrangements and the impact these had on driving improvement across the service. This included increased investment in the environment and a greater focus on innovation.

For example, the service moved from paper-based records to electronic care planning and documentation systems. This helped to improve the accessibility, accuracy and oversight of care records, supporting more effective monitoring and enhancing the quality of care provided to people using the service.