Archived: Bennerley Fields 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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.

Staff and leaders worked towards a common goal and were passionate about helping people to achieve their outcomes. Leaders led by example and were sometimes involved in day-to-day support as well as their own tasks. KPI ensured that the provider’s goal of reablement was measured and that the service was working towards its purpose.

This care home was operated as a partnership between DCC and NHS services. We met staff and leaders from both organisations who worked well together and were focused on the objective of supporting people to regain their independence.

Staff told us they felt valued and supported and their cultural backgrounds and personal beliefs were respected by the provider. They understood the aims of the service were to support people’s reablement and were able to explain how they helped people to work towards these goals.

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.

Leaders were knowledgeable about the service and the people who were living there. They understood the systems and processes the provider had in place and were honest in identifying areas of the service which they felt could be improved, with plans in place to action this. Several leaders we spoke with had worked in care and progressed from care work into senior carer and management roles, which meant that leaders had experience of dealing with the day-to-day care needs of people and care staff were able to relate to them.

Staff told us they found leaders approachable and supportive if they had any concerns. A person’s relative told us, “The manager has been very supportive and responsive and is determined to find the right solution for my relative.”

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

Staff understood how to raise a concern and said they felt they would be supported if they were to do so.

The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place, with copies on display around the building and available to staff.

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 told us they were treated fairly, and their individual needs were taken into account by the provider. One staff member told us the provider was flexible and understanding of their individual circumstances. Staff told us they felt supported if they asked for additional training or supervision.

There was a diverse staff group with staff members from various cultural backgrounds. One staff member told us, “Culture and diversity is good here and they welcome everyone.”

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.

Each leader had their own responsibilities and understood their role. Quality monitoring audits were completed on a regular basis, by the provider, which covered all aspects of the running of the care home. Responsibility for these quality audits were divided between staff with different roles. For example, the maintenance worker oversaw the majority of checks related to the safety of the building, and kitchen staff were responsible for ensuring food temperatures, fridge temperatures and kitchen cleaning rotas were completed on a regular basis. Senior leaders maintained oversight of all of the quality audits and carried out spot checks to ensure they were being completely appropriately.

Leaders maintained oversight of staff training and supervisions to ensure that all staff had the skills to provide the appropriate care and support. One staff member told us: “It is very well-led. We do have supervision meetings, and the manager will discuss the job with you and what you’re doing well, not doing so well and this looks into the standards of care that you give.”

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 meetings held most days which were attended by professionals from both health and social care teams. All staff and leaders told us teamwork, communication and partnership working was a strength which enabled the provider to ensure people received care and support in a timely way and could then be discharged from the service as soon as they had reached their initial reablement objectives.

People were encouraged and supported by staff to access their local community. Staff from the physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams helped people to visit shops, go for walks and attend local groups as part of their rehabilitation programmes.

People living in the care home had access to hairdressers, communal kitchens and communal lounges which contributed to helping people feel they were part of a community. A group of local residents met at the care home on a regular basis to socialise and have a quiz, which people from the care home and their relatives were encouraged to attend. This allowed people to feel a part of the wider community.

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. Learning from the provider’s other care services was shared with staff at the care home and leaders from the provider’s other care services were in regular communication. This helped ensure best practice, and learning from incidents, was shared across all the provider’s care services.

Supervisions and appraisals provided opportunities for individual staff members to identify any areas of learning required. Team meetings were held where learning was shared across the team. Leaders had oversight of quality monitoring audits on medicines and falls which included which identified fixes which would ensure that the same mistake would not be repeated.

There was an ECP employed by the provider who worked during office hours who could provide clinical support and advice to unqualified staff. Leaders told us the building was also used as a base for multiple teams who work in partnership with the care home, and district nurses visited regularly. Leaders told us external clinical professionals had provided staff with training on specific areas of clinical care if people with specific care needs were admitted. For example, caring for amputees, or mental health support for a person who was in crisis.