Meadow View

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.

Policies and procedures were informed by government legislation and national guidelines, ensuring best practice.

Staff and leaders held values which reflected those of the organisation. One staff member told us, “I enjoy the job, they look after people properly here.” We spoke to several staff members and leaders who told us they had worked in various organisations over their career and particularly enjoyed working for the provider.

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 knew the staff group well and relationships between staff and leaders were positive. Leaders had practical experience of working alongside people, including personal care. This helped to ensure leaders could appropriate monitor the quality of care, and staff could go to leaders for practical advice and support.

Relatives told us they find leaders approachable if they had any concerns. One relative told us, “I can talk to the manager about any issues”. Another said, “The manager is a nice person and concerned about the wellbeing of my relative”.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff demonstrated an awareness of how to raise concerns and told us they felt they would be listened to if they did. The provider had a robust whistleblowing policy in place with instructions for how staff can raise concerns both internally and externally to other organisations such as the local authority safeguarding team or CQC. Signposting information was available for staff so that if they had any concerns raising concerns internally, they could call an external advice and support phoneline.

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.

Processes and policies were in place to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion.

A recent staff satisfaction survey showed staff were positive about working for the provider.

Leaders were approachable and willing to support staff with the benefit of their experience and knowledge. One staff member told us: “We feel locally supported by manager, we shadow each other when we look after people, and if we don’t understand we can always ask - the nurses provide us with information on how to support somebody if we need this.”

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.

Leaders oversaw quality control by completing regular audits covering all aspects of the day to day running of the home. This meant leaders were aware of concerns that arose in any area of the care home. Processes were in place to ensure staff completed monitoring of people’s health and wellbeing and recorded any concerns. One staff member told us, “Care staff are responsible for completing daily logs, so we have clear systems in place.” The provider operated an electronic care notes system which meant leaders could access care notes written by any staff members and ensure quality.

Training was organised and monitored so staff received regular refreshers of training sessions. A thorough induction process was in place with regular supervisions in place for all staff, ensuring that leaders were able to monitor the quality of care staff were providing, and offer a safe space for staff to reflect on their practice and develop their skills.

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 told us about a project where student nurses came to a work placement at the care home as part of their studies. The student nurses were given the task of planning a new sensory room for people to use. The provider obtained some funding from a charity in order to complete the project – the sensory room was used by people on a daily basis and we saw people enjoying the facilities.

Open days and activities such as summer fairs and Christmas parties were organised, with relatives being invited to join in. Daily activities were advertised on the board and visitors were encouraged to join in these activities with people.

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.

Learning and reflective practice was a key part of the audit processes in place. For example, the monthly health and safety audit contained an “action taken” column to ensure steps had been taken to mitigate any concerns identified. An overall “audit improvement plan” identified any concerns which had arisen out of the auditing process, the actions which needed to be taken, and the timescales for completion of these actions.

The provider completed satisfaction surveys for relatives, with a 100% positive response rate from those who participated. An anonymous comments box was placed in the entrance hall for visitors to provide feedback. Leaders advised us they had asked relatives whether they would like for regular organised “house” meetings to be held, but relatives had indicated a preference for smaller, individual updates and meetings.