The Beeches

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 75 (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, equality and human rights, and diversity and inclusion.

Staff understood the provider’s values and were supported to demonstrate these in their practice and behaviours. A member of the management team told us, “We talk about Anchor's values in team meetings and supervisions. We need to support the staff to display those values. We should be displaying them every day.”

Staff told us the service was a positive environment in which they worked together to achieve improvements which would benefit residents. One member of staff said, “I think there is a lot of positivity. Before, we all worked for the best of the home, but now we are all supporting each other and working together to make improvements, and it is a calmer, more positive environment.”

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

There was no registered manager in place at the time of our assessment. The home manager had been in post for approximately 4 months and had applied for registration with CQC.

People told us the manager and senior staff were available and approachable. One person said, “The manager’s door is always open for us to pop in.” Staff told us the manager promoted an open culture and welcomed their feedback. One member of staff said, “[Manager] tells us to be open and we are. His door is always open and we can go in and talk to him.”

Staff told us they were well-supported by their managers. They said they had access to advice and guidance when they needed it. A member of staff told us, “We all deserve to feel supported in our roles. I feel confident and comfortable to go to [manager] or [district manager].”

The manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour, which is a legal requirement for health and social care providers to be open and transparent when things go wrong.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns and were confident these would be considered and acted on appropriately. One person said, “I have always told them if there is something I am not happy about. Either they have taken action or I get an explanation of why it is like that.”

Leaders encouraged staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. When concerns were raised, these were investigated appropriately, and lessons learned were shared effectively.

Staff said they were encouraged to speak up if they had concerns or ideas for improvements. A member of staff told us, “We are encouraged to speak up and I would feel comfortable doing so.”

A member of the management team said the provider had recently introduced measures designed to ensure accountability if concerns were raised. For example, staff were encouraged to raise any concerns with a senior member of staff and to record who they had reported to, so there was a record of this to ensure action and accountability.

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.

The provider regularly reviewed the culture of the organisation in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were confident that their concerns and ideas resulted in positive change to shape the service.

The PIR outlined the work the provider had undertaken to promote diversity and inclusion and the positive outcomes this had achieved, stating, ‘Discrimination is not tolerated, and inclusivity is actively promoted across all areas of the service. As a result, staff report feeling respected and confident that they can be themselves at work. We continue to employ and support colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds, including those with different disabilities, genders, races, religions, beliefs, ages, and sexual orientations. This diversity has enriched our workforce and directly benefits our residents, who can receive care from staff who understand and reflect their own cultural backgrounds.’

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

Regular audits were carried out on key aspects of the service. Any issues identified through these audits had been logged on the home’s improvement plan and tracked to ensure action was taken to address them. For example, an audit identified that some wound-related incidents had not been recorded on the event capture system. An action had been added to the improvement plan with a date for completion to review all wound care plans to ensure they were accurate and reflected people’s clinical needs.
Information about risk and performance was shared and discussed at daily stand-up meetings attended by all heads of department, and regular governance meetings. The management team carried out daily walkarounds of the home to make observations and speak with residents and staff to help maintain oversight of care quality and safety.

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.

Managers and staff had developed effective working relationships with other professionals involved in people’s care, such as GPs, community nurses, speech and language therapists, the falls team, and the community mental health team.

The home had developed links with the local community. For example, sponsoring an event organised by a local charity.

The provider focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

A senior member of staff outlined how the management team ensured learning was taken from incidents and used to improve practice, saying, “If there is an incident, we have a reflective practice meeting. We look at what did not go well and how we could do anything better. I think it works well. It gives the team their chance to share their point of view.”

The provider supported staff to develop their knowledge and skills. Some staff had achieved National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). A member of the management team told us, “We ask [staff] about their development in supervisions. People have gone on to do their NVQs here, which we support.”