The Sloane Nursing 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.

The last rating for this key question was good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people received a service that was well led.

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. Managers and staff displayed a positive culture within the service which fostered greater trust and understanding between them and the people living at the service.

Information was communicated and shared effectively with staff through daily meetings, supervisions and regular staff meetings. Meetings held showed opportunities for all to comment and provide meaningful input. One member of staff told us, “We have regular staff meetings and daily handovers to share information about people. I have supervision every month and find it very supportive. There is good teamwork, and we all support each other. The manager is always meeting with people gaining their feedback on everything.”

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. The service had a home manager in post. They were in the process of registering to become the registered manager for the service and were knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2014. They were aware of the types of significant events which they were required to notify CQC about and records showed the service had submitted notifications to CQC where needed. The home manager was supported by a deputy manager to help drive service improvements. Staff told us they felt happy and well supported working at the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People, relatives and staff told us they would feel able to speak up if they had any concerns. Comments included, “Staff are very respectful and communicate well”, “There is good communication with staff, and the manager is available and communicates well with residents”, and “Communication is very good, both manager and deputy always update me and check in with [loved one].” Information about how to raise concerns was displayed within the service. Records demonstrated staff were encouraged to raise any concerns during team meetings and individual meetings with their supervisor, which were followed up.

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 supported staff to feel included and treated them with equity, taking account of their individual needs. A staff member told us, “The manager is respectful of all our needs and very supportive to ensure there met.” The home manager told us there were employee systems in place to support staff and a new training programme had been implemented to support staff’s mental health and dealing with their own stresses. They told us that they operated an open-door policy and staff could approach them at any point but there were also team leaders in post to act as staff representatives for any personal issues they wished to raise should they chose to.

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. There were systems in place for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. These included audits and checks to monitor and ensure people received safe care and treatment. Managers completed a range of audits, checks and observations which covered areas such as medicines, safeguarding, infection control, care plans and records, complaints, health and safety and the home environment. Upon review we saw that where issues had been identified, action had been taken, and managers monitored the progress of improvements and practice to ensure they were embedded.

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. Leaders built good relationships with external health and social care professionals to make sure people received the right care at the right time.

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 systems in place for learning. These included regular training for staff, staff meetings and supervisions. The home manager discussed learning from accidents, incidents and complaints with staff. There were clear systems in place for monitoring the standards of care provided and these were used to identify any areas of improvement and lessons learned.