Hazel Bank 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.

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.

The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to person-centred care and improving outcomes for people. This was reflected in our conversations with staff and feedback from other health and social care professionals. One staff member commented, “We are not just a team. We are a family.” There was a strong emphasis on working with other professionals to ensure there were good outcomes for people and their relatives. Relatives told us they felt welcomed to the service. Relatives’ involvement was embraced, including supporting with gardening projects and flower arranging sessions.

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.

The registered manager had the experience, skills and commitment to support the service. There was a focus on genuine, positive outcomes for people, teamwork and the quality of the service. The registered manager was approachable and visible. The registered manager was supporting another of the provider’s services but there was a deputy manager in post who also provided day to day leadership to the team. We received very positive feedback about the registered manager from people, relatives, staff and other professionals who worked regularly with the service. Relatives told us the registered manager listened and resolved any issues promptly. Comments from staff included, “Our manager is brilliant and very supportive.”

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

The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place, which included clear guidance to support staff to ‘speak up’. Staff understood the processes to follow, should they have any concerns. Staff did not raise any concerns.

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.

The provider employed a diverse staff team. Human resource policies were in place to ensure staff understood their rights as an employee. Staff told us they felt respected and supported flexibly by the registered manager and expressed their pride in improvements at the service.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and improving governance arrangements. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support.

Audits and checks were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Senior staff had clear roles and responsibilities to ensure the required checks were completed and action taken. The service had a live action plan which incorporated all the actions from a range of audits, and this showed where issues had been resolved or were still being monitored. Actions were not signed off as complete, until the registered manager was assured any changes had been embedded. The provider had policies in place, which were regularly reviewed. However, they required updates as they did not reflect there had been a recent change in the nominated individual for the service.

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.

The provider collaborated with the local authority who commissioned care and health and social care providers. The registered manager demonstrated they valued and welcomed partnership working. They were part of the local registered manager group. There was a good emphasis on community involvement, including links with a local school and outings to parks and facilities in the area.

We received positive feedback from stakeholders who worked in partnership with the service, and they told us they had seen improvements to the quality of the service, which was reflected in people’s and relative’s experiences. One social care professional commented, “I am very impressed with Hazel Bank. [Registered manager] is always quick to respond and goes that extra mile to make sure clients and their families are communicated with.”

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.

There was a culture of learning and improvement. Staff in all roles expressed a pride in working for the service and in the care and support they provided. The service had an improvement plan, which was being embedded and regularly updated. The registered manager had plans to further develop the service including introducing a “You said: We did” board. The registered manager spoke passionately about the values of a strong learning culture and the team developing together, to further enhance the quality of the people’s experiences who lived at the service.