Frith House

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 93 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

People described the home as having a feeling of family which gave them a sense of belonging. One person told us, “I love being here. These are my family. Everything here I like.” Another person told us, “Having dementia I wouldn’t choose anywhere else to be.”

Staff demonstrated a collaborative ethos, including resident‑led meetings and activities, resident ambassador roles and a strong focus on dignity and independence.

People were valued as equals and actively involved in fundraising for charity and raising money for future trips and activities. We heard from people, and saw photographs of a sponsored walk people had taken part in.

Resident ambassadors wore name badges, and were always identified at meetings, to make sure other people knew who they were, and could share information to be passed on to staff or managers. This helped to ensure people who may be less confident to approach staff still had their views or concerns heard.

People who lived at the home were included in the recruitment of staff. This could be as part of the interview or meeting with the prospective employee for a chat. We saw interview notes included feedback from people who had met with the candidate.

Inspectors saw positive engagement with people and families, and feedback was used to shape improvements, such as responses to complaints.

The care home had a consistent management team who led by example to create an environment where people and staff felt listened to and valued. There was a person-centred culture at the home which ensured everyone was treated as an individual. One member of staff said, “Anything people want we try to do.” Another staff member said, “We give our best. All the residents here are lovely they deserve the best care.”

All staff said they would be very happy for a member of their family to be cared for at Frith House and would recommend the care home. One member of staff commented, “If my mum was living here, I would be very happy."

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders were visible, approachable and demonstrated compassion in how they supported staff and residents. There was a clear leadership structure, with increased deputy management capacity and defined champion roles across key areas such as dementia, dignity, infection prevention and end of life care. Staff in champion roles came from across the staff team to ensure their individual skills and experience were utilised to promote good practice throughout the home. For example, end of life champions had attended specific conferences and their responsibilities included supporting staff and liaising with professionals and families to make sure people had dignified care at the end of their life. One family member had written a review stating, “I was deeply impressed by the care and compassion shown both to [person’s name] and my family during the final days, and the guidance and support following his passing as well. I remain deeply indebted to a group of true professionals who were always there for [person’s name] and his family.”

The management team were totally committed to providing the best care to people by continually learning and improving. This included sharing learning from complaints and compliments with the staff team. For example, one person’s family has requested additional updates on a person, and these had been put in place. They also ensured that people who wished their family members, or advocates, to have remote access to their care records could do so easily. This helped families to stay in touch with the care and support people received even when people were unable to communicate this.

Their ethos was to be open and transparent to enable everyone to be included in decisions and feel able to make suggestions. There were various meetings, surveys and themed conversations to gain people’s views. People could make suggestions through the ‘You said, we did,’ scheme that operated in the home. Some issues had been raised about cleanliness and in response a daily walkaround by housekeeping staff and a member of the management team was implemented. During our visit people were complimentary about the cleanliness showing the action taken had led to improvements for people. We also saw a specific trip had been requested and this had taken place.

The registered manager and deputies were very visible in the home. In addition to spending time each day with people and staff, the registered manager held a monthly afternoon tea and chat for anyone to attend. One person told us, “They [the management team] are lovely people who really care. They are focused and generally lovely and helpful.” Another person said they were impressed because the management team always addressed them by name which made them feel, “More than a number.”

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

The provider had systems in place to encourage staff to raise concerns, including incident reporting, whistleblowing processes and regular meetings. Staff used these systems to report incidents, accidents and complaints, and leaders responded with action plans and learning discussions.

Staff and people felt able to raise any issues with the provider or the management team. All told us they would be listened to, and any information would be treated respectfully and without prejudice.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff felt fairly treated and part of a team. Diversity in the staff was valued and respected. One member of staff said, “We are a friendly and multi-cultural team. There is great teamwork and everybody helps each other.” Other staff praised the teamwork and communication at the home.

The provider shared and celebrated different cultures including meals and festivals. This enabled people at the home to learn about new things and celebrate different faiths with the staff who supported them.We saw photographs of people enjoying themed meals with staff from different cultures. During our visits we observed warm and affectionate relationships between people and staff.

The registered manager made adjustments for staff and respected their needs. This included making sure there was space for staff who required a private area to practice their religion and enabling flexible working patterns to meet staff’s family needs. One member of staff told us how they were able to follow their religion whilst at work. They said, “I am truly grateful that the management and my colleagues have always been supportive and accommodating, allowing me the time and space I need for prayer.” Another member of staff commented that the registered manager had enabled them to work flexibly following maternity leave.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider understood that reflective practice was a driver to improving and maintaining quality care. One reflective practice session with the staff group used recent complaints and all staff examined what they did well and how improvements could be made. Improvements implemented following the reflective practice session included, more frequent welfare checks for new residents, a new check for pressure mats to make sure these were working and promoting people’s safety, and laundry baskets for people staying for respite care.

The provider used their governance systems to monitor quality, manage risks and drive improvement. There were regular audits, governance meetings and oversight of incidents, complaints and safeguarding concerns. Learning from events was analysed through flash meetings and governance reviews.

The registered manager ensured all audits, complaints and feedback led to improvements in the service offered to people. Action plans were shared with all staff where audits identified shortfalls. This helped to make sure learning was put into practice. All changes were monitored to make sure new ways of working were fully embedded in day-to-day life at the home. If further shortfalls were identified additional training and supervision were offered to staff.

We saw examples of prompt action to address identified risks, such as care plan audits and falls management. Strong support from the provider’s central quality team helped ensure improvements were monitored and sustained.

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.

Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to make sure people’s needs were met. This included health and social care professionals such as doctor’s surgeries, social workers and community health teams.

The registered manager welcomed personal and professional advocates into the home to ensure everybody’s views were heard and responded to. People were supported to join in with local activities to help them to remain part of their community.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. Leaders promoted a learning‑not‑blame culture, which supported staff to improve practice and embed lessons learned over time. For example, additional training was provided to staff following concerns raised by a healthcare professional about the care of a person with a specific health condition. The training helped to make sure the person’s health was better managed to promote their wellbeing. The action taken was shared with the healthcare professional and they responded by thanking the provider for their swift action and said they were “Very reassured” by the actions and information provided.

The provider actively engaged with research, projects and pilots with external organisations to improve the quality of care people received and contribute to wider learning in social care. The registered manager and wider leadership team shared this ambition, involving people and staff at all stages of learning. At the time of assessment staff had attended training to enable them to take part in research being carried out by local healthcare professionals. The research focused on the positive effects of good hydration and nutrition for people living in care homes. One member of staff who had attended the training said, “Lots of good ideas about nutrition. I think it will really benefit people here.” The registered manager had a system in place to monitor outcomes of the project on people’s health and wellbeing. This would then be fed back to further inform the project.

The registered manager carried out regular observations to enable them to identify gaps in staff skills and practice. Where shortfalls were found they ensured staff received extra training tailored to their specific needs. One member of staff told us they had received additional face to face training to help them to support people living with dementia. They said, “The in-house dementia training really helped me. It gave me good skills to interact better with people.”

Throughout our visits we observed people were calm and happy. We heard lots of laughter and good humour showing interactions with people were positive.

Frith House was part of a larger organisation where good practice and areas for improvement were shared to support ongoing improvements throughout the provider group.The provider ran a leadership development programme where staff were able use reflective practice to plan improvements and share knowledge through ‘Community of Practice’ meetings.