Downs View 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 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 did not consistently demonstrate a fully embedded shared vision, strategy, and culture based on transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, inclusion, and engagement. While there was evidence that leaders recognised the importance of these principles and had taken some steps to address this, further work was needed to ensure they were fully embedded.

The provider had a values statement, supported by policies and procedures outlining expected ways of working, and staff were provided with an employee handbook setting out the aims, objectives and guiding principles of the home. Some staff and relatives spoke positively about the service ethos; one member of staff told us they chose to work at the service because they shared the provider’s values. A relative commented, “Overall, the care is good. The staff are approachable and friendly. They do a lot of nice things for the people here, activities and entertainment.”

However, some practice observed on the day of inspection did not consistently reflect a shared culture aligned with the providers stated values. This indicated that the provider’s vision and values were not fully understood or embedded across the service, resulting in inconsistencies in practice.

The provider demonstrated a commitment to inclusive leadership, with leaders who understood the context in which care, treatment and support were delivered and who promoted the organisation’s culture and values. Leaders who were in post acted with integrity, openness and honesty, and staff told us they had strong knowledge of the service and the people living there.

Staff described improvements in leadership communication, including clearer processes for complaints and written memos to support consistency. Relatives acknowledged recent management changes, but told us that key staff and leaders were approachable and helpful. One relative said they had confidence in the new deputy manager, describing them as knowledgeable and experienced within the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us there were effective systems in place for them to raise any concerns, and they felt confident that action would be taken when they did so.

We saw staff meeting minutes showing that staff had received guidance and signposting on how to speak up, including information about the process and available sources of support. Posters promoting speaking up were displayed in staff areas. A staff member confirmed they knew how to escalate concerns and felt assured these would be taken seriously.

The provider valued diversity within their workforce and worked towards creating an inclusive and fair culture by promoting equality and equity for the people who worked for them. The provider had an equality, diversity and inclusion policy in place, which was also included in the staff handbook.

Staff told us they worked well as a team and supported each other, and that they received good support from the nominated individual and operations managers. A relative also commented that staff “come from all sorts of backgrounds and do a great job.”

The provider demonstrated developing governance arrangements, with evidence that auditing processes were in place to support oversight and improvement. During the inspection, we saw examples of effective medicines audits, which identified findings and actions that were shared with the team to support learning and improvement. Staff told us, “The nominated individual audits the care plans and I complete any actions,” which showed accountability for addressing identified issues.

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. During the inspection, we saw that the provider made referrals to relevant healthcare professionals when risks to people’s health were identified. These included referrals to the community rehabilitation team, mental health services, dental care services, dietitians and continence services.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience and outcomes and actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff told us they had been working on a sustainability project, which focused on responsible resource use and long‑term improvement. People using the service were encouraged to get involved through workshops and by appointing sustainability champions.