Robert Harvey House

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 assessment the rating has changed to outstanding.

This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 89 (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 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 provider’s values and clear vision for the service were understood and shared across the staff team. This was reflected in the consistent, person-centred care people received. There was a strong and well-defined direction for the home. This provided a clear structure for delivering care that focused on meaningful engagement, improving people’s quality of life and exceptional end of life care.

The provider shared learning across its services and continually sought opportunities to enhance the experiences of people and those important to them, ensuring that compassionate, dignified care remained at the heart of everything the provider does.

Training and development supported staff to embed the provider’s values into their day-to-day practice, including providing meaningful engagement and responding to people’s emotional and social needs. This ensured a consistent approach across the team.

The provider promoted a clear culture focused on creating a homely and community-based environment. This was reflected in the range of spaces available, including an on-site shop, pub and a fine dining space used for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. These facilities enabled people to spend time with others, celebrating meaningful events and engage in everyday experiences that reflected normal life.

The provider 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.

The nominated individual and registered manager demonstrated an exceptional commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and community partnership. A project was developed in collaboration with students from a local secondary school. The project was developed following a proactive review of how the service could further enhance people's emotional wellbeing, reduce social isolation and strengthen meaningful community connections. Rather than providing isolated activity sessions, leaders designed a sustainable programme focused on creating long-term relationships between people and young people. The initiative aimed to enable people to build genuine friendships, share life experiences and actively contribute to the education and development of future generations.

This demonstrated a creative, compassionate and forward-thinking approach by working inclusively with external partners to design a programme capable of delivering lasting benefits for both people and students. Through regular visits and shared activities, including reminiscence projects, games, creative sessions and community celebrations, people were supported to remain active participants within their wider community and maintain a sense of purpose, identity and belonging. Although this programme remained in the early stages, the project has embedded a culture of continuous improvement where leaders actively sought innovative solutions to enhance people's experiences and quality of life.

Leaders were approachable and visible within the service to their staff team. There was a stable management and staff team. Leaders were experienced and demonstrated a clear commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care. Their approach promoted a positive and inclusive culture across the home.

Relatives and people consistently spoke highly of the staff, registered manager and management team. One person told us, “[Registered manager] is marvellous, she pops in to say good morning every day, nothing is too much trouble for her, I can’t sing her praises enough.”

Staff spoke positively about the management team. They told us they were always accessible to them. All staff we spoke with felt they could speak to the management team regarding any concerns or questions they may have, and they would be answered and acted on promptly. One staff member said, “We get really good support from [Registered manager] she is understanding and approachable.”

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

The registered manager promoted a culture where staff felt able to speak up and raise their concerns. People told us they would speak up and felt their voice would be heard. Staff confirmed they felt able to raise any issues or concerns, including poor practice. Staff were confident the registered manager would listen to them. They advised us the management team were always accessible.

There were clear processes in place to support staff in raising concerns. Staff demonstrated an understanding of these processes and how to escalate concerns appropriately. There was a whistleblowing policy in place for staff to access. One staff member said, “I am confident any concerns would be dealt with quickly but if they weren’t I’d tell CQC (Care Quality Commission).”

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 promoted a culture where staff wellbeing was discussed and supported. All the staff we spoke with felt valued and supported by the management team. This supported the home to deliver consistent, high-quality care and demonstrated a sustainable approach to their workforce wellbeing. This approach was rewarded with a low turnover of staff and many long service awards.

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.

The provider had effective systems and processes in place for monitoring and driving improvement within the service. Audits had, overall been effective at identifying areas for improvement and documenting actions taken.

Statutory notifications were submitted without delay, and partner agencies were notified where appropriate, for example safeguarding concerns. Detailed records were kept of any meetings, discussions, performance monitoring, provider involvement, all with the clear outcome of driving performance and quality of care provided.

Staff told us they felt the service was very well run and that the communication from leaders was clear and effective. Staff understood their role and responsibilities and how they contributed to the running of the home.

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

The provider recognised that exceptional care was achieved through meaningful collaboration and had developed a culture in the service in which partnership working, innovation and community engagement was embedded in everyday practice.

For example, the registered manager explained how the service had actively led and participated in a diverse range of partnerships with local GP practices, community nursing teams, specialist clinicians, hospices, universities, schools, research organisations and charitable groups. The purpose was collaborative working designed to improve health outcomes, enhance quality of life and create opportunities that would not otherwise be available to people. Leaders and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement through active involvement in research and quality improvement programmes, including the ENRICH network (this connects care staff, people and researchers to assist high-quality social care and health studies) and the Gold Standards Framework (an independent charity that has been leading the training for providers in end of life care for people). By engaging with evidence-based practice and emerging innovations, people benefited from access to the latest developments in care, while staff developed their own knowledge and skills to continue that drive for improvements throughout the service. A particularly impactful example was the home’s involvement in Project Unity, developed in partnership with local schools. This initiative encouraged meaningful and lasting relationships where people regularly participated in shared activities, such as storytelling projects and celebrations with the young people who visited the home. This helped to reduce social isolation, strengthen emotional well-being and foster a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. Feedback from people and their families consistently demonstrated the positive impact these relationships had on confidence, happiness and social connection.

The benefits of the partnership approach were evident in the outcomes achieved for people. Collaborative multidisciplinary working ensured quicker access to specialist support, more coordinated care planning and improved management of complex health needs. People experienced seamless transitions between services, greater involvement in decisions about their care and increased opportunities to pursue interests that matter to them. Families were reassured knowing that decisions were informed by a network of professionals who worked together to achieve the best possible outcomes for people as already evidenced within this report.

We saw clear evidence the provider involved people and their family members in an effective and meaningful way. Leaders demonstrated they had excellent links with the local community resources through the partnership with their local school, GP surgery and the community initiatives, they were engaged with. Staff consistently told us leaders proactively engaged with them and they felt listened to.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 registered manager shared with us the learning from care research. The provider demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation by being selected as 1 of only 91 care homes across England to participate in the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) AFRI-c Study, led by the University of Bristol and Bristol Trials Centre. This prestigious opportunity recognised the home's commitment to advancing evidence-based practice and contributing to the wider improvement of adult social care. Over a 3 year period, the provider worked collaboratively with leading researchers, supporting complex data collection and monitoring people’s well-being while maintaining exceptional standards of person-centred care, and safety. The home's proactive engagement enabled people to contribute to nationally significant research that helped shape understanding of respiratory infection prevention across the care sector. Participation in the study promoted a strong culture of learning, curiosity and professional development. Staff enhanced their research knowledge and confidence, strengthening their ability to critically evaluate emerging evidence and translate learning into practice. This further embedded a culture where innovation was welcomed, tested and used to drive continuous improvement in outcomes for people using the service. While the study concluded air filtration systems did not provide additional benefits beyond existing infection prevention measures, the provider demonstrated leadership by using the findings to validate and strengthen current practice. For example, some staff became lead champions in infection control. The service continued to invest in interventions proven to improve outcomes, including vaccination programmes (with consent), workforce development (staff have been able to progress their career to become seniors) and robust clinical governance arrangements.

The provider’s involvement demonstrated a commitment not only to adopting innovation but also to challenging and evaluating it through rigorous evidence. By actively contributing to nationally recognised research, the provider supported learning beyond its own organisation, helping to influence future care practices and demonstrated leadership within the adult social care sector.

We saw evidence of action plans being completed following accidents, incidents, falls and safeguarding events. Any learning from the analysis of these events was shared with staff during staff meetings, handovers and individual supervisions.

The provider had processes in place to gather formal feedback from people and their family members through regular meetings at the home. People and their family members consistently told us the registered manager was responsive to any concerns and dealt with matters in a professional and timely way.