The Pines 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 service 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 service had a clear direction and a positive culture shared by people and staff. The registered manager maintained an ‘open-door’ policy, with people, professionals, and staff describing them as approachable. Staff reported a strong team ethos, working collaboratively towards shared goals and focused on positive outcomes for people. Comments from staff included, “If we ever have any problems, we know we can approach the registered manager easily,” and “We all work as a team and share tasks together.”

The service 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. People and staff had confidence in the registered manager. They provided leadership in an open and honest way. Staff and relatives spoke highly of the registered manager, describing them as fair, understanding, approachable, and consistent. Comments included: “Everyone loves [name] as a manager because they are very nice and good at listening,” and “I genuinely think [name] is brilliant, level-headed and consistent.” The registered manager told us they followed all policies and procedures within the service and had the support of the provider.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.Relatives had completed surveys and felt confident raising any concerns. Staff consistently told us the registered manager was approachable and willing to listen. The registered manager said, “I’m confident that residents always express how they feel. They are not afraid to speak up.” Staff confirmed this, with one saying, “If we ever have any problems, we know we can approach them easily. Another staff member commented, “[Registered manager] is approachable and supportive.” There was a whistleblowing policy in place and when things went wrong.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they worked well together, felt accepted, and were encouraged to be themselves at work. One staff member said, “I love my job and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. I feel like I can truly be myself here.” Another shared, “This home truly feels like a second home to me.” Policies and procedures were in place to support equality, diversity, fairness, and respect for all protected characteristics. These policies were embedded into practice through ongoing staff training.

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. The registered manager had oversight of the service. Staff told us understood their roles and responsibilities. Systems and processes were in place and embedded. The registered manager used an action plan to ensure actions from monthly audits were completed. The registered manager had made all notifications to CQC as required by law. A notification is the action a provider must take, informing us about changes to their regulated services or notifiable incidents that have taken place in them.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People told us how they enjoyed going out in the community for fun activities with the staff support. The service shared information and learning with health and social care professionals to improve care for people. Feedback from partners reflected positive, collaborative relationships. One professional stated, “The Pines Team work well with our service and are always open to advice and guidance. They have responded well to feedback, demonstrating efforts to make improvements.” Another commented, “We have a good working relationship with The Pines, who often seek our advice, reflecting strong partnership working.” Processes were in place to collaborate with the local community and external professionals.

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The registered manager explained how they were consistently seeking ways to enhance the service, including, supporting people to whose health deteriorated to remain living in the service, with additional support. The provider maintained oversight of care quality and safety through their own internal audits. The registered manager expressed confidence in the safety of the systems in place. There was a shared understanding across the service of the importance of ongoing improvement. The registered manager felt assured about the effectiveness of governance systems, processes, and their own role in overseeing the service. The registered manager had fostered a positive culture focused on enabling people to enjoy fulfilling lives.