The Lodge 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 inspection 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 71 (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. Leaders promoted a positive and person-centred culture within the service. Staff spoke positively about team morale and demonstrated an understanding of supportive care. One staff member said, “Management are approachable and their door is always open.” People and relatives also described the service positively, reflecting a warm and caring environment. This meant there was a positive culture within the service.

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. Leaders showed openness and honesty in how they responded to concerns raised during the inspection and took prompt action to address issues. We observed leaders took a hands-on approach in directly supporting a person alongside staff during our visit when they were feeling unwell.

Systems were in place to support open communication between leaders and staff, including team meetings, supervisions and day-to-day discussions. This supported an inclusive and supportive culture within the service.
 

The provider fostered a culture where staff felt able to raise concerns and share their views. Staff told us they felt comfortable speaking up and were confident their concerns would be listened to. One staff member said, “I feel comfortable speaking up, if I had concerns, I know I could raise them.”

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. We did not find any concerns in this area. A staff member told us, “We work as a team and support each other.”

The provider did not always ensure governance systems were fully effective in identifying and addressing risks. During the inspection, we identified concerns relating to medicines management, care planning, record keeping and the environment, which had not been consistently identified through internal audits.

Although the provider had systems in place to monitor quality and safety, these had not always ensured risks were identified and addressed prior to our inspection. In response, the provider strengthened governance arrangements through their action plan. This included reviewing their auditing tools, increasing oversight in relation to areas that needed improvement and reinforcing expectations with staff through training, supervision and monitoring. We will check for continued and sustained improvement at our next inspection.
 

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. People were supported to maintain links with their local community. The provider had also contributed to their local community for example by supporting and contributing to the local neighbourhood watch and community coffee mornings.

Overall, the provider demonstrated a commitment to learning and continuous improvement. One leader said, “We are reflective and always looking to improve.” Leaders also used learning from other services, accidents, team meetings, supervision and handovers to share learning and promote good practice. In addition, the service demonstrated good use of dementia mapping to better understand people’s experiences, which informed improvements in care delivery and staff approaches. This supported a culture of ongoing improvement within the service.