Hunters Care Centre

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 86 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service 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.

The registered manager’s very clear vision and strategy was strongly embedded in the culture of the service and proudly embraced by all staff. As well as promoting the provider’s values, they told us, “My vision is that we can always do better.” These were share with the team through regular staff meeting as well as being displayed in the service.

They were proud to have strong heads of department in every area of the home who supported each other. They described them as promoting healthy competition which gave a “nice atmosphere at work and lovely culture”. They recognised that having a stable management team provided continuity of care and promoted going above and beyond to deliver the care. They promoted empowerment which they considered to give people development opportunities and recognition of their work which benefited people living at the service.

One professional told us, “From talking to the manager and lead nurse I got the impression that their residents wellbeing is absolute priority. The care home manager is especially working on having all policies in place to ensure the staff works safely and within legal boundaries, this is in line also with local guidance.”

One staff member told us their vision was, “To give people autonomy, security, provide first class care, respect, dignity, privacy and independence and treat people as individuals.”

At the time of the assessment, the service was being considered at provider level as part of a recognition programme which awarded this status to only 2 homes every 6 months. This was due to achievements such as strong and consistent leadership, well trained staff, low staff turnover and absence, low levels of complaints and safeguarding concerns and great residents’ achievements and lifestyle illustrated through case studies.

The service also took pride in a low staff turnover, which they told us was achieved by fostering a positive work culture, offering career development, recognising and rewarding staff, and providing strong leadership. This approach leading to improved staff morale, strengthened staff relations, and higher people satisfaction through consistent, high-quality care.

One relative shared the following comment when we asked if the home is well managed, “Superb. [Registered manager] is excellent. He is a true representative of Barchester. His relationship with staff is exactly as it should be.”

The service 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. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

We had unanimously very positive feedback about the registered manager and the management team as a whole. For example, people said, “[Registered manager]; I can't think of anyone who could be better doing the job. The deputy won an award, she’s also very good” and “They [staff] know all our names. I do think a lot of it stems from [registered manager]. It's good leadership. A lot of the good things come from him. They are all very good, the nurses and the care staff. You can't fault the laundry staff either. We get our washing back the same day.”

We saw the registered manager was visible throughout the inspection; they told us they had an open-door policy and encouraged staff to come and see them if they had any concerns. We saw they had good oversight of the service and addressed issues when they arose. They told us, “Empowerment is my leadership style. I think my heads of departments are embracing that. If they are on leave, they will delegate the role and responsibilities, and all staff know who to speak to and what to do.”

One healthcare professional working with the service told us, “I have been working at Hunters Care Centre for 24 years. [Registered manager] is intelligent, perceptive, observant and has good clinical skills whenever necessary. He is constantly monitoring the staff, residents, family members and visitors; always receptive to ideas for improvement and evaluating suggestions. The senior staff and clinical leads are very well organised and communicate well.I have found the carers to be helpful when I have asked for assistance and they are keen to make a kind, respectful and homely setting for the people in their charge.”

The registered manager shared with pride and passion many very good examples of the services achievements in contributing to enrich people’s experiences and improve outcomes as well as work with families and professionals as evidenced throughout this report.

They told us the home was being used as a hub for training new general managers from other services and staff from the service often went to the other local provider’s homes to offer them support and feedback. The registered manager was also carrying out the role of supporting other services in the region.

During one of our site visits, a new manager who was shadowing the registered manager told us they were impressed with the open culture in the home and the good communication within the management team. They told us they the deputy manager created a nurturing atmosphere when they talked to new staff and were knowledgeable and passionate. They were impressed to observe the whole home approach, for example, where the head of maintenance had knowledge of people’s specialist diets and spent time with families.

The deputy manager was named “Deputy manager of the year finalist” across the provider’s services. The service presented us a case study which incorporated their achievements since being in post as well as extensive feedback from colleagues from across the organisation, professionals, people and relatives. This summarised them to be highly professional, supportive, and dedicated, who consistently delivers high quality clinical care, staff development, and leadership, earning widespread respect and admiration within the service and region.

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

Staff told us that felt confident to raise concerns with the manager. One staff member told us, “Yes, he can be quite thorough.”

Whistleblowing procedures were in place and there was information in the staff room with information on speaking up.

The service had nominated a Speak up champion who was available for staff to talk to if they wished to escalate concerns. They meet monthly with representatives of the provider to feedback on the service and highlight any concerns raised.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.

Staff told us they felt listened to and could voice their opinions at any time. The registered manager shared with us a case study which was written by one of the staff members at the service in relation to the support they had received both at work, in relation to their protected characteristic, and with their role as an unpaid career for a family member. The service demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion by providing workplace adjustments, flexibility and risk management so the staff member could continue to carry out their role and contribute to the whole home approach the service were promoting.

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

A regular schedule of audits and checks was maintained, with action plans implemented whenever issues were identified and completed within set timeframes. Oversight was provided at the provider level through monthly service reviews and clinical support from the development nurse. These audits and reviews were consolidated into an action plan to drive continuous improvement.

At the time of the assessment, the service’s whole home action plan included 5 ongoing operational actions related to achieving good compliance with completing records related to care delivered to people on the electronic system. The registered manager checked the information on the system in preparation for the daily staff stand up meeting. However, they did not pick up the concerns we identified in relation to the lack of recording of fluid intake for people and lack of oversight to ensure people had enough to drink.

Daily walk around checks were carried out as well as regular spot checks; we saw records that showed these also took place overnight.Where areas of improvement were identified, actions were taken.

The regional manager had a good oversight of the service and was actively involved in supporting the management team. They visited the service at least monthly, and they reviewed and monitor care recordings remotely to ensure they met the provider’s standard requirements. They provided evidence that these were being met at the time of the assessment in areas such as wellbeing checks and repositioning.

The provider’s quality team were carrying out 6 monthly compliance visits and provided support visits in between.

One professional told us, "Hunters Care home is an extremely well-run care home which is very well lead by [registered manager]. The nurses and carers are very professional, communicate any issues in a timely manner and very meticulous regarding medication. The staff also seem happy and staff retainment is extremely high."

The service clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The service fostered strong relationships with the local community and professionals working with the service. Health and social care professional who provided us with direct feedback as part of the assessment were very complimentary about the service.

The registered manager took pride in their partnership working. They told us they ensured professionals had a good experience by promoting the service internally so the professionals could promote it externally.

They were keen to showcase the service’s presence on the internet and social media which increased their presence in the local area and improved links with the community. They showed us examples of being mentioned in social media posts from other homes, local organisations and businesses. One example was a thank you post from the regional fire and rescue service for inviting them in to talk to people about fire safety. Online reviews did not only include feedback from people and relatives, but also from external contractors, students who completed placements and a volunteer.

They were particularly very proud of the community engagement the summer fete generated through the engagement with a local farm, pets’ charity, local stalls and classic care club.

One healthcare professional told us, “The team at Hunters demonstrate a strong commitment to working collaboratively with external professionals like myself to ensure the best possible outcomes for their residents. They are receptive to my clinical recommendations, and my professional judgement is always respected and taken onboard. If something isn’t possible or realistic, they communicate clearly and work with me to find alternative solutions. I feel confident that staff operate within their remit and will reach out when unsure or when something isn't progressing as expected.”

Another healthcare professional told us, [Registered manager] always shows an interest in what I am doing and how the residents are responding to my treatments. I feel very comfortable with him and know that if there was anything I was ever worried about or witnessed anything that I didn’t feel was right I could go to him confidently and be assured that he would handle it immediately.”

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

The management team were keen to learn and continuously improve with the aim to deliver outstanding care and support to people. The registered manager kept their knowledge up to date and regularly met with the provider’s other managers for mutual support and to share ideas and good practice. They welcomed provider audits, acted upon outcomes and shared and celebrated success.

During the assessment, they acted swiftly on our feedback to address the areas of improvement we identified or any suggestions we made, for example, to evidence impact on people of good outcomes.

The service was keen to gather their own feedback from people, relatives and professionals to use in improving the service and tackle any concerns before they became complaints.

The registered manager talked to us about development they made in improving technology in the home and about the learning they identified following the implementation of the electronic care planning and recording system, which they shared with the whole organisation at their quality conference.