The Knowles

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. The leadership at the home and staff contributed to a culture at the home which was focused on providing good care to people.

People told us the approach taken by staff showed they were valued. One person said, “They (staff) are really nice and helpful. The management is excellent. If you have any problems or need some advice you can talk to them. You can talk to the care staff as well, and you can tell from their face and body language that they are listening and willing to help.”

Staff explained to us they were well managed and described an open culture, in which their needs, well-being and aspirations for professional development were considered. Staff told us they enjoyed working at The Knowles. Staff described a culture of collaboration, teamwork, good communication which was supported through team meetings and regular handovers.

The provider said they were proud of the staff and management team describing everyone as being committed to provide the good standards of care people expected. The provider said they had spent a lot of time improving the culture of the home, such as being available to staff, respecting and supporting staff through development, improvements to the home environment and strengthening the management team.

Senior staff considered how to address any barriers which may prevent staff from delivering care as they expected, through staff meetings, supervision sessions and by reviewing shift patterns to support staff’s needs. The provider told us that if the staff team were happy, this came out in how they supported people to the best of their abilities. The provider was proud of their staff team and said they wanted to praise them for how they supported this inspection.

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 provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support.

Staff told us the registered manager and senior staff were available to support them at any time. Staff described support they had received to promote their own mental and emotional well-being. One staff member told us how this made them feel valued.

Staff felt supported by managers. Comments included;”[Registered manager] is supportive she has an open-door policy and I can approach her any time.” Another staff member told us the registered manager supported staff on shift when required, such as helping with giving people drinks which freed up time for them to support people with other tasks. The provider also completed weekend and night shift checks to make sure, the delivery of service they expected took place all of the time. This helped managers to understand any barriers staff faced to providing good care. The registered manager told us they were supported by the provider and their manager.

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

Staff understood how to raise any concerns and escalate these to other organisations, should this be required and they were confident they would be listened too. One staff member said, “I would go to the [registered] manager if they didn't listen, I would go to CQC or council or both.” Staff told us they had not needed to raise any whistle-blowing concerns as feedback was encouraged and listened to. The provider said they had a whistle blowing policy and encouraged staff to make any concerns they had known so actions could be taken where needed.

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 said they were encouraged to work as a team, for the benefit of people living at the home, and were treated fairly. Where staff required extra support or adjustments because of their own protected characteristics action was taken to put this in place. One staff member said, “We are treated equally.” The provider said they used external companies to support staff welfare, and the provider was open to supporting staff if they had any concerns, such as financial worries. The provider said they would be willing to help staff where practicable.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. There had been some improvements to the provider’s quality assurance processes since our last inspection. For example, acting on identified concerns, including fire safety. To support this, the provider used external fire safety consultants. A visit was planned by them in October 2025. Where we found some fire doors not closing as required, action was taken to rectify this.

Systems for checking people’s care and risk plans worked although they only sampled a small percentage meaning it would take some time to be confident; people’s plans were up to date. Some further development of governance systems and practice was required to ensure all care provided was recorded. For example, in relation to daily checks undertaken by staff, such as fluid intake and output, as well as how staff administered specific medicines. This will help to further reduce risks to people. Staff told us there had been improvements to the service since the provider had taken over. The provider, registered manager and staff team had worked together to help improve the service at the home. Staff met monthly to share information across teams and to provide any feedback or to be reminded where improvements were needed.

Some processes or checks, when delegated to other staff, needed to be developed further so they become effective and embedded. Processes to assess, monitor and mitigate risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of people and others were completed.

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.

Systems for working with other health and social care professionals showed how they advocated for people, so they had access to the support they needed to ensure they achieved positive outcomes. During our visit, we saw relatives visit family members.

The provider included people and relatives in a newsletter which included important events, such as people’s birthdays, upcoming activities or reflections on activities already completed. The newsletter included staff member of the month which celebrated their contributions to supporting people. On the day of our visit, the home celebrated the ‘National Day of Arts in care homes’. We saw a number of people involved in arts and crafts during our visit. The provider also said they wanted to support people with partnerships that was in line with their vision to ensure people led rich and fulfilling lives. This included, Valentine’s Day, where people and staff went out into the community and handed out roses to members of the public, and where people supported the Coventry Food Bank donating items on behalf of The Knowles. On 1 occasion, the provider said local media published, “Our resident's donating Easter Eggs and resident's crocheted teddy bears which they donated to the neo-natal ward at UHCW, this was published by their in-house magazine."

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. People and relatives were involved in making suggestions and feedback about the service they received through meetings and surveys.

Staff told us the culture of the home was much improved. Staff said they had good communication, had the opportunity to contribute to suggestions to improve the home and regular handovers helped give them the right information to meet people’s needs.

Opportunities to share any learning across staff teams was taken. The provider said they learnt from other CQC Inspections at their other homes. The provider used external consultants to help them understand and meet CQC regulations, as well as others, such as health and safety and fire safety.During our visit, the provider was honest with us about the challenges they faced since they had taken ownership. Following our visit, where we shared suggestions for improvement, the registered manager voluntarily sent us an action plan telling us how they would improve following our feedback. This showed us, the provider’s willingness to learn and improve.