Crawford 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 changed to outstanding.
This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.
 

This service scored 89 (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 clear vision and values that were well understood by staff these included being, “About people before labels, not giving up, empowerment, seeing peoples’ talents, creating a real home, and compassion at every stage of life.” The registered manager and management team promoted an extremely positive and inclusive culture where person-centred care was at the heart of their ethos. People, their families and staff were empowered to be involved in changes and improvements to the service. One relative told us, “They make it feel like home from home. That's what they do very well.” Staff meetings and mock inspections reinforced these values, and the service actively assessed its support against RSRCRC principles, embedding them into improvement plans. Observations and feedback confirmed staff consistently demonstrated compassion and respect, creating a homely environment where people felt safe and valued.

The provider had exceptionally 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. Leadership was strong and visible. The registered manager and deputy were experienced, approachable, and proactive in supporting staff. Leaders modelled inclusive behaviours and maintained an open-door policy, ensuring staff felt valued and supported. Succession planning and staff development were evident, with opportunities for NVQs and specialist training such as PBS and autism awareness. Staff described management as caring and responsive, fostering trust and stability across the team. The registered manager was highly regarded by all people and their relatives. We received consistently positive comments about their leadership and approachability including, “The staff are very good and its well led. I can always approach the manager and there is always someone to talk to.” and, “Communication with the registered manager is excellent, I have faith in them”. Staff feedback mirrored this with comments such as, “The registered manager and senior staff are supportive, I would go to them with anything. Over the last year they have worked around me and supported me. I feel valued by the company.” And another staff member spoke about the culture leaders promoted, “I’ve been here for years is my favourite job ever it feels like a family.”
This strong, compassionate leadership had a clear and positive impact on people’s experiences. Staff stability increased, morale was high, and people benefitted from consistent, confident support delivered by a team who felt trusted and appreciated. People experienced a warm, calm and settled environment because staff were well‑guided, well‑supported, and deeply committed to providing high‑quality care. The leadership approach created a culture in which people felt secure, listened to, and able to thrive.

The service demonstrated a well‑established and exceptionally strong culture of openness and transparency. Staff told us they felt fully confident to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. This was supported by clear whistleblowing procedures and mulitple feedback routes, including suggestion boxes and direct access to the provider and regular opportunities to speak with senior leaders who visited the service frequently. One staff member said, ‘The owners come down to see us. They do wellbeing checks; we can talk to them.’ Staff consistently reported feeling listened to, with any issues addressed promptly. Another staff member told us, ‘If there’s any issues, they pick up on it quickly.’
Leaders promoted a culture where speaking up was encouraged, normalised and genuinely valued. Staff confirmed they were always listened to and that issues were acted on promptly, contributing to a workplace where people felt respected, psychologically safe and able to influence improvements. People using the service and their relatives also told us this open and responsive culture was evident throughout all aspects of support. Duty of candour principles were well understood and consistently applied when things went wrong, with leaders being honest, apologising where appropriate, and clearly explaining what action had been taken to prevent the same issue happening again.

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. There was a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and experience within the workforce. The service had an open, inclusive recruitment procedure.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. The registered manager and provider carried out various audits and checks to identify shortfalls in the service and drive improvements to the care and support people received. Audits were completed and reviewed by the staff who were responsible for the area. Findings of audits and lessons to be learned were shared with staff to ensure they were working towards a common goal and to minimise reoccurrence following an incident or complaint. The registered manager had a good overview of outcomes of audits which were logged on the online system. There was a continuous action plan in place which enabled progress to be monitored. There was a staffing structure at the home which gave clear lines of responsibility and accountability. Staff acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The registered manager and staff were responsive and outlined plans to regularly review and improve oversight processes with particular regard to maximise peoples' opportunities for autonomy and control.

The registered manager and staff worked an exceptionally coordinated and proactive way with health and social care professionals They demonstrated exemplary partnership working, they consistently sought out collaboration, shared information openly, and advocated strongly on behalf of people. This meant individuals experienced care that was not just coordinated, but truly integrated, support wrapped seamlessly around their needs. Professionals consistently praised the team for their knowledge, responsiveness and strong advocacy, describing joint working as highly effective and person‑centred. The registered manager and staff shared information and learning openly with partner organisations and actively advocated for improvements. Their collaborative approach helped drive positive change across services, ensuring better, more consistent outcomes for people. For example, hospital passports and reasonable adjustment documents were exceptionally detailed and highly person‑centred. They captured people’s individual needs, preferences, communication styles, and health information in a clear, accessible way, ensuring seamless continuity of care across different settings. These tools ensured continuity of care across different settings and helped external professionals understand exactly how to support each individual from the moment they arrived.
Leaders and staff worked with people and their representatives to build a culture where living a full and meaningful life was at the heart of support. This included ensuring people stayed connected to the people who mattered most to them. Relatives gave powerful examples of staff going above and beyond to support people to attend family events or visit family homes, ensuring relationships were nurtured and maintained.
Community engagement was exceptionally strong. People were supported to take an active part in local events, with staff working closely alongside community organisations to advocate on their behalf. This highly proactive approach meant people experienced inclusive, enjoyable opportunities tailored to their interests, strengthening their sense of belonging and identity.
 

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. The registered manager told us how the service was praised by the Learning from lives and deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) programme, for the high‑quality, person‑centred support provided to an individual. Reviewers highlighted the team’s commitment, compassion, and skilled practice. Staff consistently told us they were encouraged to reflect and share ideas for improvement. Training was comprehensive, and leaders supported staff development. Staff expressed confidence in leadership’s commitment to continuous improvement.