St Petroc's 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 inadequate. 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.

The service culture had significantly improved with manager and staff now working together to ensure people’s needs were met.

The provider had made arrangements for the staff team to be well supported and a permanent manager had been recently appointed. Staff told us they were now well led, protected from discrimination and were confident any safety concerns they reported would be investigated.

Governance systems were now effective and had driven improvement in the service performance.

The improvements meant the service was no longer in breach of the regulations.

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.

At the last assessment staff reported concerns about the service’s culture due to safety concerns being ignored by the registered manager.

During this assessment, we found managers listened to and acted on staff concerns and the culture of the staff team had significantly improved. Staff told us, “We do now feel we can talk to the management and things get done”.

People were complimentary of the staff team and the compassion with which they provided support. Their comments included, “The staff are very caring, they’re lovely. They make it very much like a home” and “You couldn’t come anywhere better in my opinion, I have nothing but praise for the care here.” Relatives said, “[My relative] is well looked after” and “I visit daily, the staff work really hard”.

All staff reported there had been positive changes since the last assessment, the culture had improved and they were now working well together. Staff told us, “Staff are getting on together. We are all here for the same reason”, “There is nothing for you to worry about” and “We are a pretty good team. I know we are looking after people”. The acting manager told us, “I don’t think there is anything I am worried about, everything is monitored and I think the team feel included. At supervision they raise things and they are addressed, I don’t have any concerns”.

Flannels and towels had been replaced following our previous assessment and we found all linen in use at this assessment was of good quality.

Managers took pride in describing how staff had encouraged and supported one person to engage with a task they had been initially resistant to. They commented, “They know people well. Staff do appreciate having time to sit and be with the residents”.

Professionals also recognised the culture and morale of the staff team had significantly improved. They told us, “The atmosphere is much more welcoming, and residents appear more settled. The new care system is up and running meaning that concerns are highlighted immediately”.

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.

At the last assessment the service’s leadership was ineffective and had failed to act when safety concerns were reported. During this assessment, we found the management team were leading the staff team effectively and listening to and acting on information they received.

Professionals told us, “There was a manager appointed briefly, but [they] left suddenly. It appears that Stonehaven are working to ensure the correct type of person is recruited to the role, to avoid the mistakes that happened previously”.

The provider had made arrangements for the staff team to be effectively led throughout the period since the last assessment. The provider’s compliance manager had visited the service twice a week and acting managers normally responsible for managing other services were based at St Petroc’s 3 days per week. One of the acting managers had since become St Petroc’s permanent manager and was due to be based full time in the service the month following the assessment visit. This manager told us they were looking forward to the opportunity. People told us the service’s current leaders were, “Focused, fully in charge and approachable”.

In addition, a new deputy manager role had been introduced to support the service manager and provide leadership and support to the service’s senior carers. The role and responsibilities of the service’s leadership team were now well defined and understood by staff. The acting manager commented, “The seniors have really grown in their roles. They are working well, they are seeing themselves as one team now”.

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

At our last assessment staff had lost confidence in the registered manager and the provider’s systems for reporting concerns. They had stopped reporting issues as they believed no action would been taken and they could be discriminated against for making reports.

During this assessment we found these issues had been addressed and staff were now confident reporting any issues without fear of retaliation. Staff told us managers now responded positively to any issues they raised and commented, “I have the compliance manager’s number and the acting manager’s and can call if I need advice” and “If we find any concerns we can tell [the managers] and they are here to support us. They are trying to solve our problems as well”.

People told us their feedback was sought regularly and one person said they had become an unofficial spokesperson. They commented, “We meet with staff every month and give feedback about the home, the other residents are happy for us to do this”.

Relatives were also now confident any issues they raised would be investigated. Records showed a complaint had been received, fully investigated and changes made to improve the person’s experience as a result of learning identified during the complaints investigation.

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.

At out last assessment staff reported they were discriminated against based on their nationality.

During this assessment we found staff were treated equally and now worked effectively together as a team to meet people’s needs. No staff raised concerns about discrimination and staff from different nationalities were now treated fairly by management. Staff comments included, “Before we were stressed. It is much, much better than before” and “Staff all getting on together”.

The provider’s compliance manager had recently identified a developing issue within the staff team that was impacting on staff morale. This was promptly challenged and effectively resolved. The operations manager commented, “Last week was a much more positive week. We will always have blips with staff teams but are now able to quickly turn things around”.

Issues with staff performance had been promptly investigated. Additional support was provided or disciplinary action taken as necessary to drive improvements in overall performance.

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.

At the last assessment the provider’s governance and auditing systems had failed to identify people were being abused or ensure reported safety concerns were investigated. During this assessment, we found the provider’s governance systems were significantly more robust and there were appropriate procedures to ensure people’s care needs were safely met.

People recognised there had been significant improvements in the services performance since the last assessment and were now complimentary of the care and support they received. People told us, “I have recommended the home to my friends, the staff have helped me considerably”, “Staff are helpful, and pleasant, and they know what they’re doing” and “You’re treated like you’d want to be treated. There’s something for everyone”.

Staff recognised the changes made by the provider since the last assessment were positive and told us, “There has been a lot of change, enormous change” and “I think everyone is happy. There have been a lot of changes”.

Staff now knew how to access support outside of office hours and told us they had no issues contacting their managers who were approachable and acted on any issues reported. Staff said, “We see [acting managers] and [compliance manager] quite a lot. The managers seem ok” and “Everything is much better, management is very approachable and listens to concerns”. Managers had completed out of hours visits to gain a better understanding of people’s support needs, review staffing requirements and to monitor staff performance.

Some staff felt over managed and were looking forward to having a single leader in the service. One staff member commented, “I think it will be a lot better now we have a new manager”.

Staff were now using the service’s digital record keeping system effectively and alerts had been developed to automatically highlight incidents or unusual events to managers for review. Staff reported they were regularly contact by managers out of hours to offer support or advice when incidents occurred.

The provider’s governance and auditing processes were now robust and designed to drive improvement in the service’s performance. Two additional staff had been recruited to support the provider’s compliance manager and ensure that all 10 of the provider locations were visited and audited regularly. Where issues were identified during these processes, action plans were developed with managers to improve performance.

Relatives were complimentary of the improvements made since the last assessment and told us “It’s not just residents that have seen an improvement in the last few months. This has been good for families too, the newsletter helps us to see a more positive time spent at the home. Staff are more helpful, it’s definitely feeling more homely.”

The service’s paper files, including staff member recruitment and training information, was disorganised and difficult to access. The new manager had plans to address this issue

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 service engaged positively with health partners to ensure people’s needs and expectations were met. Records showed prompt referrals had been made for support from professionals when people’s needs changed. Professionals reported the service shared information effectively and a relative commented, “I’m very impressed with the staff and their involvement with the GP”.

The service had recognised that a move to another location, closer to a person’s relatives and family was needed. They had reported this issue to commissioners and engaged positively to ensure a prompt transfer of care was arranged.

People told us there had been an increase in the range of activities on offer and records showed some people had been able to enjoy trips to local attractions in a minibus supplied by the provider. People told us, “We now have a full schedule of activities”. We observed people were supported and encouraged to participate in, and where possible, arrange activities for people to engage with.

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.

At the last assessment the service leadership was ineffective and had failed to act when safety concerns were reported. During this assessment, we found the provider had reviewed their policies and introduced additional systems to ensure any concerns staff raised were investigated and addressed.

The staff team were now confident managers would listen to, and act on, any concerns they reported. Staff told us, “I have seen a lot of changes” and “It has improved a lot. We don’t get brushed off now, they do listen”. Additional opportunities for staff to share information had been introduced and handover meetings were now held at all changes of shift to ensure all staff had access to the latest information about any changes in people’s needs. Staff told us, “We have a huddle meeting everyday so we know what is happening and can discuss things with our manager”.

A learning event had been hosted by an external contractor to give the staff team opportunities to review their experiences, identify learning and share feedback with the provider. The contractor had reported that staff would value further engagement from senior managers. Feedback from staff had included, “We would like to see senior managers more often so they can see how things are”. Records showed the provider’s senior manager had visited more regularly and additional staff had been recruited by the provider to support staff teams. The newly appointed manager told us, “Stonehaven, I have never worked for such a supportive company before. The support office is good”.

The provider’s policies and procedures in relation to restrictive practices and refusals of planned care had been reviewed and updated in light of learning gathered since the last assessment. This learning had been shared with the provider’s other homes to prevent similar issues occurring.