Clarkson House Residential Care Home

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 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 created a positive culture. Staff were happy in their role, felt they had the training and support they needed and enjoyed coming to work with the people they supported. The provider had an ongoing action plan for improvement and had made significant progress in addressing areas of shortfalls from the previous inspection, including with the environment and care records, although further work was needed.

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, families and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. One person commented, “The home is well managed. [Registered manager] is very personable and welcoming.” People told us they would recommend the home, with one person telling us, “I would recommend this home, you get well looked after here.” The provider worked closely with the registered manager and was actively investing in improvements across the home.

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

People were not always able to tell us how their views had been actively sought, but felt able to raise any concerns. One person told us, “I am not aware of any recent meetings, but they would always act on what I asked for,” Staff told us they felt able to share ideas and raised concerns with one member of staff telling us, “I feel our ideas and views are 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.

Staff told us they were well treated by the provider and felt well supported. The registered manager told us they took a flexible approach to supporting staff and was keen to develop staff skills and knowledge.

The provider did not always have effective systems of accountability and governance.

The registered manager completed a variety of checks and, with the provider, was working through the action plan. These checks had identified some of the issues we noted in relation to records, but further work was needed to ensure these issues were fully addressed and good practice became embedded. Further work was needed to ensure processes for oversight of medicines were effective in identifying areas where we had found previous concerns, and ensured manufacturer’s guidance and best practice was being followed.

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 worked well with other health and social care agencies and feedback from other services was positive. At the time of the inspection there was limited involvement within the local community, but the registered manager was confident these ties would be renewed once their vacant activity worker position was filled. The provider had relationships with local faith groups who came to support individuals in the home where needed.

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 an action plan and was actively investing in developing and improving the home. There was an open culture where people, families and staff felt able to share their views, but further work was needed to ensure people were clear on these processes. The provider worked closely with the local commissioners and actively engaged in seeking advice and support where this was needed. The registered manager and provider were responsive to our feedback and took action to address any areas of concerns we identified.