Carricks Brook

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 82 (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, management team and staff provided high quality care for people, in a safe and homely environment. They continually promoted people’s involvement, choices and independence. The provider, management team and staff worked consistently to support people’s needs and goals. They worked together to identify and remove any barriers to people living a full and inclusive life. All staff were active in people’s support and demonstrated an excellent knowledge of people’s needs.

The provider placed people, their choices and wellbeing above profits. This ensured people were able to participate in experiences that they enjoyed and also enabled them to develop skills to reach their full potential. Not everyone received funding to allow them to take part in all trips and activities therefore this was funded by the provider. The registered manager told us this was to ensure that no one was discriminated against or missed out on any experiences due to financial restrictions.

There was strong, effective teamwork. All management team and staff all spoke very highly about working at the home and about the people they supported. They told us how everyone worked together. Every staff member and relative we spoke with told us the culture at the home was, “Like a big family.” Staff comments included, “We’re a big family, we’re unique, we all get along. We have individual personalities, and we work to each other’s strengths.”

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.

There was a very positive culture at the home. The registered manager was a credit to the provider. They led by example, with compassion and integrity. They knew people really well and used their extensive knowledge to support staff to provide high quality care. All relative’s spoke very highly of the registered manager and whole staff team. One relative summarised this well. They told us about the kind and caring way staff supported their loved one to achieve their potential, identifying unique ways of support. They said, “It’s the strong leadership. It gives a strong influence of how staff work. It’s the people in charge that set the tone.”

The provider, registered manager and management team led with openness and honesty. If things went wrong, then these were immediately and appropriately addressed. This openness and honesty were shared by staff. One staff member told us “We don’t hide it, we share it and we learn from it.” Relatives also spoke of the openness and transparency of the registered manager and staff team. One relative said, “They immediately own it if things go wrong.” Both staff and relatives emphasised how this openness provided them with confidence related to the care of their loved ones and working at the home.

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

Staff understood the whistle-blowing policy and told us they would report any concerns to the senior staff on duty or the management team. They knew how to raise concerns outside the organisation if they were concerned appropriate action was not being taken. Staff were confident any issues raised would be addressed. The registered manager told us staff were able to contact managers from their sister home for guidance and support at any time.

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 equality and diversity was valued. They were encouraged to share concerns and ideas through supervisions, team meetings and general discussions. Staff told us they felt valued and everyone worked well together. All staff were given opportunities for further training and to develop their roles. Some staff were ‘bank’ staff and did not work regular shifts. They told us they felt an equal part of the team and were given the same opportunities, training and updates as other staff. For some staff English was not their first language. Some information, for example policies, had been produced in their native language. One staff member told us, “This information is too important not to know.”

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.

There was good oversight of the service and risk, including the quality of people’s care and support. There were regular checks and audits which included the auditing of the environment, medicines management, care and safety checks. Audits were also completed by the provider’s compliance manager. Areas for improvement were identified, an action plan was developed and demonstrated when these had been addressed.

The provider was aware of their statutory responsibilities to notify CQC about certain events and incidents that affect their service or the people who use it. These notifications were submitted appropriately.

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.

Staff had developed positive working relationships with services. This was demonstrated through discussions and the records viewed. Staff told us how they could contact relevant external professionals to help them meet people’s changing and ongoing needs.

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 and staff actively worked to make improvements at the home. This included making improvements to people’s lives, staff well-being and the general running of the home. All staff were equally committed to making improvements and developments. There were systems in place to learn from accidents, incidents, safeguarding’s, survey results, complaints or when things went wrong. Action plans were developed and showed when shortfalls had been addressed. Issues were also discussed in staff meetings and supervisions which ensured staff were aware of current changes and updates.