The Chimneys 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 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. Relatives told us there was a culture at the home which centred on their family members receiving the best care possible, provided by staff compassionate staff who enriched people’s day to day lives. One relative highlighted this was universally practiced across the whole of the staff team, including domestic staff. All staff took time to acknowledge and listen to people and to put them first. This helped to ensure people were fully integrated into life at the home and experienced the best well-being possible. Another relative told us the staff’s approach meant family members and friends were also supported, welcomed and cared for. The relative said, “[Person’s name] friend is always made welcome. They stay until 10:00 pm and are treated with respect and fed.” Staff embraced the culture at the home and were committed to it. One staff member reflected how they were led and said, “[Senior staff] want everybody happy with their needs met. No tensions in the staff team and [people] to have a good, safe environment.”

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. People and relatives were complimentary about how the home was run. Relatives told us the leadership at the home were open, caring and considerate to their family members and them and people’s care was skilfully organised. Staff were positive about the leadership in the service and were encouraged and able to obtain advice when they needed. One staff member told us because of the way the home was managed they would be confident to recommend The Chimney Residential Care Home as a good place to work. The staff member said, “If you are unhappy with anything [registered manager’s name] will sort it out.” Staff regularly saw the registered manager and senior staff and worked alongside them. This provided staff with the opportunity to see how they approached supporting people and to take learning from this. Staff achievements were celebrated and where any shortfalls in staff practice were identified these were addressed. The registered manager told us they were supported by the provider’s representative, who regularly visited the home.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff knew there were policies and procedures in place to protect them should they need to raise any concerns externally. However, staff told us they had not needed to use the protections of the provider’s whistle-blowing policy, as senior staff had a positive approach to listening to staff. Staff said if they had any concerns about people they were encouraged to speak to senior staff immediately. A staff member told us,”[Registered manager’s name] door is always open.”

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. Staff told us they were free from discrimination at work. One staff member said they were supported to have time off to celebrate events linked to their faith and culture. Another staff member told us about the support they had received and said, “I am 100% treated equally with other staff.” The registered manager had developed a project which supported prospective staff members who were at risk of marginalisation and had been subject to significant events in their lives. This has also increased staff language diversity within the home and enabled staff to further meet people’s needs.

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. Staff knew what was expected of them through staff meetings, one to one meetings with their managers and meetings at the end of each shift. A staff member said, “We work well together. Communication is the key.” Staff had also been supported to understand the impact of significant legislation through credit card sized reminders which allowed easy access to the frame works for supporting people’s rights and safety. The registered manager understood their responsibility to notify CQC of key events in the service. The registered manager and senior staff regularly checked the quality and safety of peoples care, including how competent staff were in a range of areas including infection control, medication management and how safely staff assisted people to move around the home. Further audits and checks were done by the registered manager and senior staff so they could be assured the premises were safe and people received person centred care. Where any improvements were identified as being required, plans were developed and progressed to address these. The provider’s representative overviewed some key areas of performance, such as complaints and provided direction and advice where required. The registered manger and provider’s checks had not identified the concerns we found in relation to occasional occasional inaccuracy of recording of some people’s creams, or requirement for greater clarity arising from some standard sentences in people’s care plans. However, we found no impact on people to date and the registered manager began to address these areas during our assessment, to reduce risks to people further.

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. Relatives told us they were treated as partners in their family members care. Relatives had provided complimentary feedback to staff about the quality of care, compassionate approach taken by staff and support staff had provided to mark significant events for people The registered manager provided pathways which encouraged relatives to also support each other and put systems in place which encouraged effective involvement of relatives in the running of the home. Staff had opened up the service for regular community events, including coffee mornings. This had fostered good relationships with local statutory agencies and increased people’s opportunities for interesting things to do and reduced the risk people would become isolated. Staff had received complimentary feedback from other organisations regarding their approach to partnership working. Staff gave us examples showing how they had worked with other health organisations to ensure people’s access to services they wanted was maintained. A health and social care professional who regularly visited the home told us, “I have a good working relationship with the home and the [registered manager] will contact our department if they need support between planned [visits]. I find staff knowledgeable about [people] and staff are helpful and welcoming when I visit. Staff all seem to be aware of their [people’s] needs, likes and dislikes. I always find a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.”

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. One staff member said there was a positive and open approach to reviewing incidents at the home. The staff member said because of this, “I would be comfortable to tell the seniors if anything went wrong.” This helped to ensure opportunities for taking learning based on staff practice were maximised. Senior staff gave us examples showing how they had proactively sought input from specialists to inform development of care provided to people. This included from health professionals, such as dieticians. The registered manager told us they were planning to work with infection control specialists to further enhance their practice and to continue to reduce the likelihood of the spread of infections.