Bushell 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 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 79 (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.

One of the central aims of Bushell House was established by the original owner approximately 300 years ago; to give good quality care to people and their friends and families. Staff tried to emulate life and routines people undertook prior to moving into the home. The registered manager and deputy manager sought out skills and abilities within staff who shared the same vision throughout their recruitment journey, and through 1-1 supervisions and team meetings.

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.

The management team was visible within the service and staff commented managers were approachable and supportive. The leaders told us they felt supported by the Trustees of the home and any ideas they had were considered and usually implemented. Both the registered manager and deputy manager had worked at the service for a long period of time and understood what was required of their roles, including their responsibilities around their ‘duty of candour’. They conducted regular audits and obtained feedback about the culture and quality of care.

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

There was a whistleblowing policy and staff said they were able to raise concerns and felt they would be listened to.

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 were appropriate equality and diversity policies and procedures, and training to guide recruitment and retention processes. Staff did not have any concerns about the way they or their colleagues were treated.

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 had good awareness of risk and understood what their role involved. There were appropriate business plans and contingency plans, and consideration given to the sustainability of the business. There was a thorough schedule of audits including medicines, environmental and infection control audits to monitor quality.

The registered manager sent statutory notifications to relevant agencies which is their legal responsibility to do so.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people.

There were links with the local school which led to positive outcomes for people. Children visited regularly and spoke to people about their lives, social history and experience of the war. Children read books and people helped the children learn about some aspects of history. People commented how much they enjoyed this and got a lot of value from it. The children practised their nativity play at the home, and people were invited to the final production and other plays at the school. Staff noted how much people were smiling and talking about the event afterwards.

There were strong links with the church and village committee. One person at the home previously had a role in the committee and being able to continue was important to her. The provider supported the community to celebrate the Whitsuntide festival. People living at Bushell House participated in the event and took pleasure from having a key role. A comment from 1 person included, “I saw so many people I hadn’t seen in a long time.” People took part in the ‘Founder’s Day’ celebration of Bushell House, and a church service was held every year in recognition. The congregation then celebrated afterwards at the home.

Some people hired out the function room and garden at the local pub to spend time engaging in activities they enjoyed, and relatives were invited to come along also. The provider arranged fundraising events both at the home and in the local community.

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.

Leaders were committed to continuously learn and develop to improve the service. They attended further learning and development, forums and conferences. Learning was shared between other similar services and registered manager groups.

The service was part of a new project with a local university. This meant medical students had a placement at Bushell House to support them to develop communication skills with older people who live in a residential setting, and to increase awareness of how social care settings support secondary care. The project also meant the home and people benefitted from an occupational therapy student completing their placement with them, and aimed to help identify any areas that could be improved.