Aspen 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 assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

The service is no longer in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance.
 

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.

Staff told us they were proud to work at Aspen Lodge Care Home. They felt the registered managers led by example to ensure a positive culture had been created, placing keeping people safe at the heart of the service.

Improvements in the service had been established, embedded, and sustained. Staff at all levels understood the shared vision of being transparent and proactive to support people to achieve their goals and keep them safe from avoidable harm.
 

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.

Staff knew how to raise concerns and access support. Staff told us leaders were visible. Staff consistently told us they felt valued and supported by the registered managers. Comments included: “The registered managers are visible for 24 hours a day and I can even contact them when they are on holiday”, “The registered managers are very protective and helpful. Sometimes we have hard times, and they are there to help us, they are really good”, “That’s one thing I love about working here, everyone gets on well including management. We laugh like we’re one big family.”

There were clear procedures for regular team meetings, staff told us they are invited to share ideas and suggestions about how to make improvements.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

People told us they had confidence in the provider to respond to their concerns. A person said, “The owner will always listen and sort whatever was wrong out, it's important to him to put things right that's just the kind of person he is.”

Events within the home were recorded and discussed to prevent reoccurrence. Staff explained ways the team work together to ensure information about people’s needs was shared, for example, if a person was at risk of choking and how it was communicated with the kitchen team to reduce the risk of harm to people.

The registered manager reviewed accident and incident records, and the provider had introduced an audit that analysed a monthly summary of these records. This process enabled the provider to identify trends.
 

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 the registered managers provided support if any concerns could not be resolved within the team. A member of staff told us, “We try to resolve any disagreements and if it needs to be escalated, we would get the registered managers involved. From what I see everyone gets on well.”

Policies and procedures incorporated all aspects of recruitment and staffing and included retention plans, equality, diversity, fairness and protected characteristics. Support and reasonable adjustments had been made for staff as and when needed.
 

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.

People were kept safe, their rights protected, and they received quality care and support. People and their relatives were complimentary about the leadership of the service.

Improvements in the service had been made and sustained. The registered managers told us they were realistic, manageable and involved people and staff in maintaining them.
Audits completed had checked all parts of the service were working well and actions were taken to remedy any shortfall or negative impact on people. The registered managers demonstrated they had oversight over people's needs and risks to their health and safety. Risks to people's safety were well managed and monitored.

The registered managers and provider had made all notifications to CQC as required by law. A notification is the action that a provider is legally bound to take to tell us about any changes to their regulated services or 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 had the opportunity to have their say on the service provided at Aspen Lodge Care Home. People told us they were able to invite family and friends to visit any time and were proud to call Aspen Lodge Care Home their home.

There was effective communication and collaboration with healthcare services and referrals were made in a timely way. A staff member told us, “They’re always available. We have good relationships with the community health teams. Whenever we ask for help, they come out and help.”

The registered managers had worked proactively in creating partnerships with health and social care 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 managers told us about the ways in which they were continually looking to improve the service. This included listening to feedback and being proactive in identifying learning opportunities through their audits. Staff told us, “Management take action straight away on anything you report.”

The registered managers had a good understanding of how to make improvements happen. Their approach was consistent, collaborative and inclusive. There were processes to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong. The provider encouraged reflection and collective problem-solving.