St Dominics Residential 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 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 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture which placed people at the centre of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and felt involved in making decisions about the service. Staff told us they felt proud of the service and the care they provided. Comments included, “Ultimately we are all working together to make sure this is a nice care home for our residents”, “We pride ourselves on what we are able to achieve” and “We want to make sure we are meeting people’s expectations and exceeding them”.

People and those important to them told us there was a positive culture and they felt welcomed and made to feel at home. Comments included, “[Person] is living their life and they are so happy there. [Person] thinks all the staff look after them so well and get pleasure making their life so much better” and “We looked at another place but it did not give us a good feeling, it did not have the same feel good factor as there is here. I would recommend it to others.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Managers led by example and frequently worked alongside staff. This enabled them to better understand the experiences of people and staff on shift. People, relatives and staff told us the management team were visible and approachable at all times. One relative told us, “The managers are easy to talk to and they work shifts sometimes, they’re just like everyone else.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt comfortable addressing any concerns with the management team. The provider had ensured staff also had access to whistleblowing information and guidance to support them to raise concerns anonymously if required. People and relatives told us the provider was good at engaging and communicating with them and said staff listened to people and responded appropriately. One relative said, “They listen to what [person] is saying, they wait and they listen, they always seem to be very caring.”

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 had policies in place to ensure equality in their recruitment and training opportunities. Reasonable adjustments were in place where appropriate and staff told us they were able to request any additional support they required to fulfil their role.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability in place. However, their governance processes were not always implemented effectively and this meant they did not always promptly identify and address issues relating to risk management. The management team were not always able to evidence how they ensured they had robust oversight of risks to people’s safety. Despite these concerns, managers clearly understood the people they were supporting well and were a consistent presence in the service, providing daily support and management oversight. Following our feedback, the management team took prompt action to review their auditing processes and implement improvements.

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. One health professional told us, “Staff are polite and helpful. They are keen to take handover and advice.” Another health professional said, “In working together, we both prioritise our patient care by being open, honest, and accountable.”

The service was fully integrated into their local community, hosting regular social events where people could meet their neighbours. The provider also arranged regular visits from local community groups and schools. Staff told us about the positive impact this had on people’s lives. Comments included, “During the VE Day commemorations, the children asked residents about their evacuee stories. For the next week, the residents were chatting about it and remembering things”, “We had children visit with their iPads and show the residents pictures of where they used to live and what it looked like now. They really enjoyed it” and “It’s a community here. We have residents making new friends at the age of 95.”

The provider was not always able to demonstrate how improvements were embedded into the service. The provider had commissioned an external audit of the service in October 2024, which identified some areas where improvements were required. However, the provider was not able to evidence the actions taken in response to this audit. At the time of the inspection, we identified some of the same issues, particularly in relation to the oversight of incidents and lessons learnt, the management of medicines and the systems in place to ensure safe recruitment.

Following our inspection, the provider responded promptly to the concerns we identified, making immediate changes and improvements. The management team told us they were committed to learning and developing the systems within the service to support staff in delivering safe and effective care.