St Georges Court 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 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, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.
People, relatives and staff we spoke with, were all positive about the change of direction the service had been through, since the new registered manager had been in post. This included the changes brought to everyone’s experience of St Georges Court Care Home.
Relatives told us, “Our relative is here for 3 years now, we noticed a lot of good changes, much improved structure and communication with us - it was never very bad but it’s really good now”.
Staff told us they were supported by the registered manager to make changes to improve people’s experience. For example, one person living in the service wanted candles in their bedroom. This could not happen due to the fire safety risk; but were provided with electric candles which gave the same enjoyment to the person and ensured their safety.

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.

The registered manager was passionate about providing safe and effective person-centred care to the people living at St Georges Court Care Home. With the support of a regional management team, they were embedding a service improvement action plan into the service. In the time that they had been in post they have ensured that they knew every person in the service their needs and history. Every person we spoke with was positive about the impact the registered manager had made on the service since they began their role. We heard comments such as, “I think this place greatly improved from 2 years ago, as we now have a more stable manager and she is really good at what she is doing.” A relative shared with us the impact the positive changes the manager had implemented in the service, to their own lives. They now felt reassured that their relative was safe and was receiving good care, so much so, that they were able to relocate.

Staff acknowledged improvements in trust and approachability, with comments such as, “We have a space to speak up”. Staff were also positive about the changes which had been implemented, a member of staff said, “[We are supported to complete] more training, which has had a positive impact and increased our confidence.”

The registered manager, senior staff and regional manager had a visible presence within the service. We observed this over two days of visits, and people, relatives and staff also corroborated this with their feedback.

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

There were processes in place to allow people, relatives and staff to raise concerns and / or share ideas. People and relatives told us the registered manager was very approachable and addressed any concerns they had immediately. People and relatives were encouraged to complete regular feedback and attend residents’ meetings. One relative said, “I do feel this is a well-managed home: they constantly ask for opinions and I do tell them all the time. I also try to attend relatives’ meetings.”

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.

Appropriate policies and procedures were in place to support workforce equality and diversity. Staff reported being treated fairly and equally.

The provider was previously in breach of Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made to the provider's oversight to ensure that person-centred care was always being provided. The provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. Governance and quality checks were effective in identifying areas for improvement.

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 registered manager demonstrated a strong knowledge of their duties, including the Duty of Candour and regulatory notifications. Routine audits covered care records, medications, health and safety, and staff practices, contributing to quality assurance.

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.

Relatives confirmed staff worked well with professionals to maintain people’s health and wellbeing, a relative told is, “I noticed big positive difference that now nurses are liaising with other professionals to try to address my relatives’ conditions.” Community engagement was prioritised, with established relationships with a local vicar who visited weekly, local schools, Pets as Therapy and enhancing social integration through outings and themed events.

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. Improvement was embedded in daily routines and structured meetings such as a daily dashboard meeting, clinical meetings, monthly nurses’ meetings and all staff meetings.

The provider had suitable systems and policies to ensure learning and improvement. We noted lessons learnt were in place and where concerns had been identified these concerns were shared with the staff team. The registered manager was responsive to feedback from all sources and had several ideas on how to improve the experience for people living at the home.