Somerleigh Court

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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.

The provider had a clear vision and values however they were still being embedded into practice within the service. There were positive strategies with both the local community and with people and their relatives. This included inviting relatives into the home for meetings, meeting with the local community in the retirement apartments adjoining the service and whenever possible involving the community in events in the service.

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.

When we inspected, a new manager had been in post for approximately 2 weeks. Staff, people and relatives told us they had been impressed with the improvements already made. These included extending an exterior seating area so people could spend time enjoying the garden, increasing staffing and holding inclusive meetings.

The manager was familiar with the service and committed to making improvements to ensure people received high-quality person-centred care in a homely environment.

People did not always feel they could speak up and that their voice would be heard.

While staff members told us they had confidence in the new manager, they also told us there were times when, if they spoke up about things, they had not always been treated well. This meant staff were not always confident about speaking up in the workplace. This was a result of experiences prior to the current manager commencing in their post.

The provider had arranged a system where staff could speak up, and whistle blow and their disclosures would be received by 3 senior staff including the director and human resources staff. This was to ensure issues were dealt with by leaders without direct connection to the concerns being raised. Information about this was displayed around the service for staff members use.

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 was a diverse workforce at Somerleigh Court because of the providers sponsorship of overseas workers. Their experiences from overseas were valued and as staff members they were vital to the provision of care.

The manager was working to involve staff and their families in social activities to develop a community within the workforce which would further strengthen the team.

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.

There was a weekly governance meeting attended by senior staff which was joined monthly by a member of the provider’s quality team. During the first week of every month there was a higher-level governance meeting where the compliance team and service managers discussed the previous months findings to identify if there were themes that could help mitigate future risks.

There were meetings with the quality team to review progress on improvements every 2 weeks. This ensured actions were being taken and the plan remained current. Remote review also took place of aspects of the service. For example, when a person was admitted to the service there were strict timescales as to when care plans and risk assessments should be in place. These could be remotely monitored to ensure they were completed as required.

The provider had developed an electronic compliance system that would communicate with both their care plan and medicines online systems. This would ensure reporting such as safeguarding alerts and notifications to CQC were sent along with monitoring reviews, care planning and records.

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 was part of a small local community including a number of apartments where people could, if they needed, receive care and support from a domiciliary care provision run by Somerleigh Court. This meant people could join with other people living in the care home for activities and purchase meals from them.

Staff worked with health and social care professionals, sharing information with permission, to ensure people received a seamless service.

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.

Oversight also included working with service managers to ensure learning opportunities were taken from all aspects of service provision. However, this was done in partnership with external services, enabling managers to support staff with learning in their chosen way. For example, a staff notice board or flash meetings with senior staff who cascaded learning throughout the team. Learning was also monitored by the provider to ensure it took place and staff received current and relevant information.