Dewar Close

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 outstanding. 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 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.

The provider’s vision, values and philosophy were focussed on 'making every day a day well lived' for people. The vision and values were shared with staff during their induction to the home and regularly discussed in team meetings. Staff were committed to the provider’s vision and values and were able to describe how they implemented them into their everyday practice. One senior member of staff explained, “The values are play, be there, make someone's day and choose your attitude. We always try and encourage everyone to play, have a bit of fun so the care is not task orientated. I think it is just embedded in us all from the moment you start working for the company. Using all those values as a whole will make the residents day." Another staff member told us, “When we go into people in the morning, we interact with them, we give them choices and promote their independence. All the values intertwine with everything we do every day."

Staff told us they enjoyed working at Dewar Close. They told us the support they received from managers and the teamwork they shared with colleagues enabled them to provide good standards of care. One staff member commented, “It is the best company I have ever worked for. Coming here was like a new look on care homes. The staff are like family and the residents are like family. I don’t wake up in the morning and think I am going to work; I wake up in the morning and think I am going to see my residents and my co-workers. It is friendly, it is happy, and it is safe." Another staff member told us, “It is a brilliant company. I have worked in other care homes, and this is one of the best ones. As soon as I started here, I was made to feel one of the family. We talk to each other and help each other; we are part of a team. Everyone chips in with everything.”

The registered manager regularly walked around the home to check on staff practice and ensure they were providing care that reflected the provider’s values. This meant any shortfalls could be dealt with promptly and good practice celebrated to ensure positive outcomes for people. The registered manager was able to share examples of where staff had gone the extra mile to make a difference to people’s day. This included sponsored events to raise money to fund more community activities.

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.

Staff described a management team who were visible and accessible and supported them in their work. One staff member said, “The registered manager’s door is always open, and they are very supportive. We can speak about our personal and work lives.” Another staff member told us, "It is one of the nicest places I have worked in. The management team try and understand what each staff member is going through individually. The management is always ready to listen." A third staff member commented, “[Registered manager] has an open-door policy. If we have any concerns or anything positive we want to talk about, her door is always open. The same with the care co-ordinators, they are really good." Staff told us they had regular meetings with their line managers where they were given opportunities to discuss their work and development.

The registered manager spoke of good support from the provider and other managers within the provider group. They explained, “There is always somebody to support me. We have monthly service manager reviews where we get together and as home managers, we can support each other and share ideas which is really powerful." The provider’s area manager and the director of quality and compliance were regular presences in the home and supported the registered manager through the provider’s governance processes.

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

Staff had opportunities to speak up both formally and informally and felt happy to share concerns and make suggestions for improving care. One staff member told us, "They always encourage you to speak up. If you feel something is off, we can all talk about it and find solutions." Another staff member commented, “There are different people in the management team you can go to and if you’re not comfortable with one, you can go to the other or to Head Office.”

The registered manager told us the importance of ‘speaking up’ was regularly discussed with staff and commented, “I allow staff time to speak up and feel heard. They have learned to drop barriers by speaking up so we can do the best for our residents." A senior member of staff described the importance of providing feedback, so staff knew they had been listened to and action taken. They explained, “If staff come to me with a problem and I have to look into ways to help them, it is important to feedback, or they won’t come to me again."

The registered manager and the provider encouraged regular feedback from staff, people and relatives through meetings, surveys and suggestions and well as through formal complaints and compliments processes. Information about policies to promote a culture of speaking up such as whistleblowing and complaints were accessible and available within the home.

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.

Staff described an inclusive culture where diversity was celebrated, and discrimination challenged. Staff told us the provider listened to their needs and introduced reasonable adjustments to help them perform their role effectively and reduce any disadvantages. One staff member explained flexibility in working patterns and said, “WCS (the provider) are very understanding of their staff." Another staff member described a phased return to work after a period of ill health.

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 registered manager and senior staff carried out a comprehensive range of checks and audits which were used to monitor risk and performance and to understand where improvements were required. Some checks focussed on ensuring legislative requirements were met, for example in relation to medicines management and infection control. Other checks focussed on ensuring positive outcomes for people, such as monitoring accidents and incidents and people’s engagement in activities.

The provider monitored the standards of care, quality and safety through regular quality assurance visits and ensured, where necessary, action had been taken to address shortfalls identified. The provider produced monthly statistics for a range of indicators, which enabled managers to compare their performance and learn from other homes. There was also accountability through the provider’s Board of Trustees and their committee framework which included committees overseeing finance and risk, governance and quality. The Board of Trustees were responsible for agreeing the strategic direction of the organisation and ensuring plans and resources were in place to achieve identified objectives and monitoring progress against these.

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 worked in partnership with people, their relatives and others involved in people’s care to improve care provision within the service. Relatives with the appropriate consents could directly access their family member’s electronic care records through a secure ‘Gateway’. This meant they could check the care being provided reflected people’s planned care. One relative explained, “I have the Gateway on my phone, it updates every few hours.” There was a daily 'duty manager' on site between 8am and 10pm so people and visitors knew who to ask for if they had any concerns. One relative had recently recorded their reassurance that information and knowledge was shared appropriately when decisions about healthcare were involved.

Some people living at Dewar Close could demonstrate distress in response to certain situations. The provider had established partnerships with specialist dementia services that staff could call to access advice and guidance. The provider’s director of quality and compliance explained, “If we have any issues, any member of staff can call through to them."

Staff told us they regularly worked with health and social care professionals and other community groups to ensure people’s needs would be met. A recent collaboration with a youth group had resulted in improvements in the outside spaces at Dewar Close and a local children’s nursery regularly visited the home. The local community were invited into the home to share events and celebrations and maintain people’s social links outside the service.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 had an evidence based and outcome focussed approach to improving care at Dewar Close and in the wider provider group. The provider involved staff from all levels in developing improvements. In 2024 the provider had identified improvements were needed in the investigation and management of accidents and incidents. A series of staff workshops had been organised to promote a culture of learning that had contributed to mitigating falls risks and ensuring better outcomes for people. To improve care plans, a working party from all levels of the organisation had been formed to understand the challenges staff faced whilst focussing on the delivery of person-centred care. The provider’s director of quality and compliance explained how this had benefited both staff and people. They told us, "The standards of care are actually better because staff now have clear and concise information on their handsets."

The provider had a process to regularly review staff training needs and career goals. The registered manager explained, “We have Care College for staff who want to develop their careers. They can do their diplomas in care and management.” Staff confirmed that the provider supported their development and encouraged them to take on increased responsibilities and supervisory roles. One staff member told us, “They are always encouraging staff to progress. They don’t overlook any member of staff, and they really do help them try and progress." The provider had recently achieved Investors in People Platinum accreditations in recognition of their commitment to creating a workplace where staff could thrive and develop.

The provider used learning from initiatives they had introduced in other services within the provider group. For example, they planned to introduce circadian lighting to Dewar Close having evidenced the positive impact on people in their other services. Circadian lighting isa type of lighting that mimics natural daylight to positively influence a person's natural sleep-wake cycle.It involves adjusting the intensity and colour temperature of light to promote alertness during the day and relaxation in the evening.The provider was working in collaboration with a university looking into the benefits of circadian lighting for people with dementia living in residential care.

The provider promoted a culture of learning through a ‘no blame’ culture. Staff told us they felt confident to share their mistakes so they could learn and improve. Learning from accidents and incidents from the provider group were shared in Red Top alerts and there were processes to communicate information and learning from the executive team. Bite-sized learning in the form of ‘knowledge nuggets’ were used to support staff practice. The registered manager explained, “It is like a little recap on something like how to mix thickened fluids, a snapshot of what staff need to know which refreshes their knowledge in that moment."

The registered manager completed case studies to reflect on the care and support people received. Case studies focussed on the positive outcomes for the person themselves but also reflected on the positive benefits to staff and the wider community of the home. They identified areas of achievement to support better outcomes for people’s daily lives.

The provider had a project commissioning committee who had a rolling 3-year plan for improvement. The provider was also developing a strategy to reduce their carbon footprint through waste reduction, recycling and energy saving.