Hall Park 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 leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant the management and staff team led by example and displayed the values and ethos of the organisation. Leaders and the culture they created assured the delivery of high-quality care.

The provider was previously in breach of legal regulation in relation to the governance of the service. We found that the service had significantly improved and was no longer in breach of regulation.

This service scored 100 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The management team 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 registered manager showed strong leadership qualities, and a passion for improving the service. Where shortfalls had been found at our previous inspection, these had been used to drive improvements. The registered manager shared a ‘reaching for outstanding’ folder with us. This contained evidence of where the service had made and embedded improvements to ensure that people were fully at the centre of their care experience. The management team held a monthly resident and relative meeting. The staff meeting was held directly after this, so any concerns or feedback could be shared promptly with the whole staff team.

The management team operated an open-door policy, with their offices being sited on main corridors of the service. People, relatives and staff all gave positive feedback about the registered manager. One relative told us, “The manager is straight talking and down to earth. They are very open and I often see them out and about, they don’t hide away.” Another relative said, “There is genuine respect between the manager and staff. The manager runs her ship tightly. It feels very local. In the 2-3 years I have been involved here, many are the same staff.”

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.

Hall Park was led by a dedicated, enthusiastic, transparent and compassionate management team, who fully displayed the provider values. The ethos of the service was based on empowerment, compassion, dignity, respect, responsibility and passion. Every person, relative, staff member and professional we spoke with confirmed this to be the case. The registered manager spoke of their full commitment to the residents and staff team and ensuring their wellbeing.

One staff member told us, “The management team are really supportive, many of them have worked their way up from carer to management roles. It is so important that we have a management team who understand care roles. To have that background and insight into how difficult a job this can be.” A relative spoke of the positive culture within the service. They told us, “I think staff and management have a very good relationship, that has impressed me. There is very little staff turnover and all the staff have been there a while and seem quite happy.”

The management team was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People were encouraged to speak up and share their opinions. The service had a resident ‘speak up ambassador’ who ensured the views of people were regularly shared. Relatives felt confident in approaching the whole staff team to share any concerns. One relative told us, “I know how to raise concerns if needed. However, I have no issues and nor does my family member. Being here has given them an extra lease of life.” Another relative said, “I do attend the meetings; they can sometimes be a bit of a talking shop. They have some actions yet to do but it feels like a safe, comfortable space to talk in. I have also fed back information in a questionnaire. Staff are good at picking up what’s said.”

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The background and culture of all staff was acknowledged and celebrated by the management team. The service had an open and transparent, positive culture. One relative told us, “Staff are very capable, very caring and very friendly, I’ve been quite happy with them. There is a mix of cultures which is healthy.” Another relative said, “Staff are a good mix of people. They are unbelievably nice people, all very kind and chatty. They are absolutely respectful to everyone. I see them at work and they are absolutely lovely, no doubt about that, very patient and kind.”

The service recognised the skills of the staff team and championed internal progression. The service had a robust recruitment strategy in place and worked consistently to give opportunities for development and progression, which in turn supported staff wellbeing and retainment.

The management team had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The management team continuously monitored and managed quality at Hall Park, to inform service development and improvement. The registered manager had a robust service improvement plan, linked to the provider’s overall quality monitoring framework.

The new electronic care planning system allowed the management to continually audit care outcomes and review these promptly. The service took a ‘whole team’ approach to ensuring high standards were upheld. Reviews for people took a fully holistic approach, involving staff from each department across the service. For example, a member of the maintenance team explained how they were involved in these regular reviews. They told us, “We do full bedroom assessments every month, to ensure the environment is safe, and meets the planned care. We are all involved in the full review. We have really good support from all colleagues.”

The management team clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service had a positive approach to partnership working, ensuring they worked collaboratively with people, relatives and external partners. The service had engaged with others so people could thrive, have new experiences and live the life they choose. A visiting health professional told us, “They are an absolutely wonderful staff team, always friendly. They know people inside out and back to front. I would recommend the service to my family.”

An activity co-ordinator told us, “We ensure people remain connected to their local community. We have visits regularly from a local school and nursery, people love this. We decorated the service for Halloween and at Christmas, as a Santa's grotto. Halloween was really special, people put notices on their door to say if they wanted to be involved in trick or treating, and local children visited people. We also link in with the Curious Café, which is nearby, and run by people living with learning disabilities, our residents love it.” We saw photographs and videos of these events on the service social media page. This allowed relatives who may not live nearby to view the activities which were taking place.

The management and whole staff team actively welcomed us at our inspection, as they were keen to share the improvements which had been made at Hall Park. The management team spoke of their commitment to working effectively in partnership with external partners. A visiting health professional told us, “I have an excellent working relationship with the team here. All of the staff know about people and their needs, including the domestic and kitchen team. They are all really supportive.”

The management team had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

We saw learning from incidents was shared widely amongst the staff team to ensure care quality could be improved. Where a person had sustained a serious injury, for example a limb fracture, we saw the management team had completed a ‘root cause analysis’ to look at any learning required. If improvements were needed to practice, or changes to a person’s care planning, these had been completed promptly to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

The model of care at Hall Park was aligned to current best practice guidance in dementia care, safeguarding, falls management and ensuring people were involved as partners in their care. Reflective practice was used as a tool to inform and consistently improve care quality. The staff team ensured people, and their representatives were involved in building a culture that focused on enabling people to enjoy a full life.

Relatives we spoke with summed up their overall view of Hall Park. One relative told us, “I would recommend the home. I’m happy with how they are looking after my family member. They listen to me, are responsive and give me information when I ask.” Another relative said, “I do recommend them to people. They look after my family member really well. They are well fed, and get lots of treats, it couldn’t be better.”