Cotleigh

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 71 (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. Staff were involved in regular supervisions, handovers and team meetings. This included discussions about the service’s visions and values, people's needs and changes, key events, health and safety and whistleblowing. A staff member told us, “Team leaders and managers are approachable. I would recommend the home; people are very well looked after.” Another staff member said, “It is absolutely a nice place to work, staff team are very good and co-operative.” The manager was currently recruiting more staff, to reduce their need for agency staffing. This would provide a larger core team and promote a continuity of care for people.

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, relatives and staff told us the home was organised and well led. Staff felt supported by the leadership team. Senior management meetings were held weekly to share any concerns or celebrations at the service. The new manager had introduced themselves to people and their relatives and offered 1:1 meetings with them. A relative said, “Every contact I had with the manager is positive and all the staff are brilliant. Team leaders and office staff. I’m grateful that [name] chose this home. They have loads of activities, a church service, craft, music events, pets come in, a safe garden and afternoon teas in their lovely tea shop. It’s a wonderfully safe and caring environment”. A visiting professional told us, “I have no concerns whatsoever about the service. It is a good home, and I would recommend it.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they were able to raise concerns and felt confident action would be taken to address these. There were clear whist blowing policies and procedures in place and these were reiterated to staff during supervision’s and staff meetings. A staff member said, “The manager is lovely, very approachable, doors always open. Nothing is ever too much trouble. Any concerns we go and see them, they are great.”

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. Feedback surveys had recognised a concern about staff morale and action plans had been implemented to address this concern. Staff told us morale was much improved within the team. All staff were supported with their professional development and no staff told us they had been subject to discrimination. A staff member said, “I am from another country: the team include me in everything, like a family. They have told me and guided me about what I need to do. We have handovers every morning.”

Governance systems were in place, which included audits of records, IPC, health and safety, and medicines. However, some improvements could be made to ensure daily walk rounds and checks were undertaken by senior staff, to enable them to recognise concerns we found in relation to environmental risks and IPC concerns. Business continuity plans were in place, to guide staff about what to do in the event of emergency events.

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. A relative said, “I feel fully informed with what’s happening with (relative’s) care.” Another relative said, “Communication is great. I go in and get kept up to speed. I was on holiday recently and they rang to tell me things. I’m kept fully informed and trust the staff even when I’m not at home.” A professional told us, “The home seems well run and organised. All the staff are friendly and helpful.” People were offered opportunities to be involved within the community. For example, people attended social clubs, dementia friendly cafes and one person was involved in making teddy bears for the local children's hospital. People and relatives were given the opportunity to feedback their views about their care and support, records evidenced positive feedback from surveys. This could be further improved by evidencing what action was taken following this feedback.

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 provider had recognised a change in the leadership team was required and had recently implemented this, to improve morale within the staff team. The manager Activities co coordinators attended an activity meeting with the providers other services, which shared best practice and ideas, to improve outcomes for people. The management team were dedicated and passionate about driving improvements in the quality of support people received.