Uplands House 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 requires improvement. 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 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.

Processes were in place to promote equality and diversity for people and the staff team. We reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose which clearly set out their values. Throughout our inspection we observed people being supported in accordance with the provider’s values.

The registered manager told us, “Our vision and values are about being inclusive, open and honest. We incorporate them in our day to day running of the service. Our recruitment adverts embed them, and we have to make sure the person we are interviewing understands, we want individualised person centred care. Our values are embedded in staff induction and training. We support staff to understand the people they are supporting and the challenges they face.”

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.

A social care professional told us, “The registered manager is an excellent role model and has high expectations of the team. I’ve had good communication with management in the time I have been involved with the service. One of the people they support had significant physical health needs alongside mental health issues. Uplands House have managed changes and deterioration in a safe and effective way.”

A staff member told us, “Staff are able to make suggestions on how things might improve within the service and our suggestions are listened to.”

We observed the provider to be supportive to both people and staff and was motivated to ensure the people living in the home were living their best lives. Throughout our inspection leaders were responsive to feedback and motivated to develop their knowledge and improve the service.

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

People living in the service were asked for their views and were given the opportunity to speak up daily both informally and in community meetings which were held weekly. We observed a community meeting which involved information sharing and updates from the registered manager and an opportunity for people to speak up and be heard. The provider told us action plans were devised from these conversations. This meant people’s views were listened to and drove improvement.

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 felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. They told us they had access to relevant policies.

The provider told us about the organisation’s flexible working policy which meant staff could apply for adjustments in their work to be made if needed. They gave examples of when this had happened, which included ongoing reviewing and regular changes made to accommodate some staff where required.

Improvements had been made following our previous inspection. 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.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff and the management team understood the importance of reporting any changes to people’s wellbeing. They kept detailed records of the support people had received.

Governance processes were effective in monitoring and improving the service. This included audits in relation to IPC, health and safety, and staff records. Although we found some concerns relating to medicines management, the provider was responsive and took immediate action to review their medicine auditing tool.

There were security measures in place to ensure all paper and electronic information was stored safely and securely. The provider submitted information to partner agencies when required.

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.

Health and social care professionals, staff, and the provider shared positive examples of collaborative working in partnership with us. One social care professional told us, “I believe the team engage with me in an honest manner, and have shared when there have been difficulties, and taken steps to address these. The in-house psychology support they offer is especially valuable and has proven to be really beneficial. Their compassion and truly person centred approach to care is I think another positive.”

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 registered manager told us, “We now have 2 gardens for people to access instead of 1. People were asking to use the second garden. We have had it opened for several weeks now, and we have had no concerns, which means we have been able to remove a restriction, and it has worked. It now used for leisure and activities.”

We reviewed evidence in team meetings, audits and quality assurance surveys which assured us learning was embedded, and the provider was continually striving to make improvements.