Swanage Lodge

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.

The last rating for this key question was 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 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

There was a positive and inclusive culture at the service. People and staff felt valued, listened to and were able to speak up about their experiences. Comments from people using the service included, “Things are lovely here” and “Staff have been excellent.”

Following concerns sent to CQC earlier in the year, managers carried out checks on staff wellbeing and satisfaction. Staff met with managers and completed anonymous surveys about their experiences. Feedback was positive and staff felt well supported. Managers looked at the structure of the staff team and developed improved systems to ensure staff had access to the support they needed.

Staff told us they were happy working at the service and would recommend it as a place to work. Their comments included, “Making people’s lives better and making a difference helps me feel satisfied”, “It is brilliant here” and “Management are very understanding and help us. They give us support and I like working here. I have no complaints or negative comments.”

The provider employed capable and inclusive leaders. The registered manager was supported by a team of managers and senior staff who undertook different leadership roles. Staff told us they felt supported by all managers. Their comments included, “We can talk to all of them”, “The manager is friendly, and it is a nice place to work” and “The service is well organised, there are a lot of managers, and they divide the work between them. I feel well supported and there are no problems.”

The provider had systems to enable staff and others to speak up if they had any concerns. Staff told us they knew what to do and were confident speaking up. Staff said they felt managers listened to their feedback and acted on concerns.

The provider had procedures to ensure workforce equality and inclusion. They considered staff individual needs when recruiting, training and supporting staff. Managers had recently held a meeting to discuss the principles of equality and how to challenge discrimination. Staff reflected on their experiences and managers used feedback from staff to help develop plans to better support the workforce. Staff told us their individual needs were met, and managers respected their diversity.

Some of the providers records were not easily accessible. This was in part due to the provider reorganising records and moving to a computerised system. Managers provided us with assurances about the improvements they were making and sent us evidence of staff recruitment records following our visit.

There were effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. These included a range of audits and surveys for staff and people using the service. Managers had regular meetings to plan for improvements and to discuss the service.

Staff worked in partnership with external professionals to help make sure people’s needs were met. They supported people to be part of the local community. The management team attended meetings with managers from other care services.

The provider had systems to learn and to improve the service. They conducted a range of audits and obtained feedback form stakeholders. They responded to the outcome of these and made improvements to the service when needed. Staff undertook regular training and were given information about good practice and legislation.