White Hill House Residential 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 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.

Staff were clear about organisational expectations and understood the importance of treating everyone with dignity, respect, fairness, and equality.

The deputy manager told us they promoted an open and honest culture. Information was shared effectively with staff through daily handovers and regular team meetings.

Systems and processes were in place to ensure staff were well supported and equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to maintain a positive culture within the service. Staff described a supportive working environment where their contributions were recognised and valued by the whole team.

Professionals gave positive feedback about the culture of the service. A professional told us. “I have always found the residents well cared for.”

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 deputy manager had been in post forover20 years and was supported by along serving team. The deputy manager was visible around the building and available to people and their relatives. They knew people well and had built effective relationships. People commented, “[Name]is the deputy manager. [They are] visible and approachable if I want a chat” and “The [deputy manager] is easy to talk to.”

Overall, staff provided positive feedback about the management of the service. One staff member commented, “I love working here, we have the most supportive team and deputy manager.”

The deputy manager led by example and was visible, responsive, and actively involved in care delivery. Throughout the assessment, they demonstrated how well they knew people living in the home, and described examples of providing quality, person‑centred care.

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

People and their loved ones were aware of how to make a complaint and felt comfortable raising concerns if something was not right. One person told us they would speak to the deputy manager if they were unhappy. Relatives also expressed confidence in the staff team to respond to any issues raised. One relative said, “If we had any concerns, I would contact [deputy manager’s name]. She is always very helpful and attentive to us in every matter.”

The provider had policies in place to support staff to speak up, raise concerns, and keep people safe. Staff spoke positively about the deputy manager, telling us they felt able to raise concerns if needed. One staff member said, “[Nominated Individual] and [Deputy Manager] are very approachable and will make time if you want or need to speak with them.”

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.

The service had a diverse team of staff, where equal opportunities applied without fear of discrimination. Staff were supported from the outset of the recruitment process. 

The provider had an equality and diversity policy in place and staff undertook relevant training. The leadership team fostered an inclusive environment. Staff told us they felt fairly treated in the workplace.

Staff told us additional training was available to support them to develop personally and professionally.

A staff member told us how they had made adjustments to their personal commitments so they could continue to work at the service. They told us, “I am treated so well and I enjoy the work.”

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.

The deputy manager completed daily walk arounds of the building and worked on the floor every week. They knew people, relatives and staff well.

The provider had an effective system for governance and oversight in place, with various audits and checks undertaken, such as medicines and health and safety audits. This meant people were kept free from harm by continually monitoring the care given. The management team followed a schedule planner for daily, weekly and other various checks, including night time checks and support to staff. 

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 deputy manager recognised the importance of working in partnership to improve people’s outcomes. They described how they worked closely with people and their families.

A local school visited regularly to join activities and socialise with people at the home. Each week, a group of youth award participants also visited and they often sang together with people.

People were supported to connect with the local community via a minibus owned by the service. People told us they had enjoyed these trips.

One relative said, “It is great when I hear that [relative] has been taken out.”

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 leadership team showed a strong commitment to learning and continuous improvement. They were open and transparent, and took action to address areas of concern found during the inspection. The service responded promptly to feedback and demonstrated a clear willingness to improve. Feedback from people, relatives, staff, and professionals was positive. Leaders promoted an open culture where learning from incidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints, and examples of good practice was shared with staff to reduce the risk of issues happening again.

Staff said, “I feel I am listened to and if I make a suggestion, I feel valued.”