Rest Haven Residential 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.

This is the first assessment for this 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 79 (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 feedback we received from staff and the registered manager indicated there was a strong culture of team working and providing person-centred care and support. The Nominated Individual told us, “I like to spend time with the residents to ensure they are having a good experience at the service.” Staff mirrored comments we received from the service management, with one saying, “I think we prioritise the residents not just their physical needs, but it is also focused on the smaller details and that makes a difference.”

Staff said the service was a positive place to work, highlighting supportive management and strong teamwork. One staff member told us, “Wholeheartedly I can say I really like working here.” Staff confirmed they were supported through supervision and appraisal. Key information was communicated through daily handovers and periodic staff meetings.

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.

There was a stable management team at the home with an experienced registered manager and deputy manager in post. The service management team were very knowledgeable about the people they supported and knew what was happening within the service.They were also knowledgeable about people’s relatives. They had identified where some relatives were struggling with placing their loved one into care for the first time and offered appropriate support to help the transition. No concerns were raised by people or their relatives about the management or the care delivery. Without exception, all staff were very positive about the service management, with 1 saying, “They [registered manager and deputy] have always supported me. They are really reliable.”

The registered manager told us when they received phone calls from people to arrange an appointment to visit the home for a potential placement, they always advised the callers to arrive when they wished unannounced. They said this was due to the confidence they had their staff team consistently provided a high standard of care.

There were clear roles, responsibilities and expectations within the service. Managers encouraged staff development through training and qualifications. Some staff had additional responsibilities such as ‘Champion’ roles.

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

People and relatives felt the registered manager was approachable and told us should they have a concern this would be dealt with professionally.There were systems and processes to encourage and respond to feedback from people using the service, staff and external stakeholders. The registered manager and staff promoted an atmosphere where people felt able to speak up. There were resident’s meetings and surveys completed. Visitors were given the opportunity to provide immediate feedback via a digital system when leaving the service.

Staff told us they felt confident in raising concerns and that these would be listened to and acted upon. One staff member told us, “I have attended staff meetings, so the last one was about a month ago, so we have them about every 3 months or so. Everyone is given a chance to speak and there is also a piece of paper pre-meeting where we can anonymously ask for items to be discussed.” The service also gave further feedback opportunities for staff to speak up or feedback through employee surveys.

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 all received the same opportunities to train and develop themselves. The provider and registered manager told us staff were encouraged to contribute to the service development through regular staff meetings and supervisions.

Staff did not raise any concerns about their experiences and felt they were treated fairly by managers and other staff members. One staff member told us, “I am happy here and it really does not feel like work but spending time with family.” The service management worked collaboratively with staff to accommodate individual needs and personal circumstances when planning work rotas.

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 service management maintained robust oversight of the service. There were effective systems to monitor the quality of care and people’s experiences. A wide range of internal audits were completed, including audits of care plans, risk assessments, medicines and infection control. Some staff undertook auditing as part of their ‘Champion’ roles. Audit findings were used as part of the service’s ongoing service improvement plan which showed how the provider identified areas for improvement and detailed how these would be addressed.

Quality assurance systems and processes were operated effectively to ensure monitoring and drive service improvement.There were regular quality assurance surveys for people, relatives, staff and stakeholders to provide feedback on the service delivery. These surveys were analysed and actions put in place where needs were identified. The nominated individual attended the service a minimum of once a week to speak with people and relatives as part of the quality monitoring processes.

The provider 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 developed and maintained excellent links with the local community, enabling people to access activities and groups which were meaningful to them. This meant people had opportunities to maintain social connections outside of the service to increase their quality of life. Activities staff told us about some of the community links that enhanced people’s lives. Links had been made with a local sailing initiative who had provided sailing experiences for people of all mobility levels. People within the service had joined as members of the local library and regular visits were made to exchange books. Links were currently being developed with a National Trust location to enhance people’s wellbeing. There were links with a local school and people had shared exercise classes with the children. Another school had provided opportunities for people to watch rehearsals of school plays. Members of the local community also volunteered and supported with domino clubs, arts and crafts and gardening. A therapy dog from the local community also visited.

The nominated individual explained how links had been created with local schemes and initiatives. This had resulted in grants being made to the service from local trusts. The grants had been invested in refurbishments to the service including new wet-room areas to support people. The service had also been involved with the local community in fundraising events, which had resulted in a new minibus being purchased that allowed more access to the local area and community. There was a current fundraising initiative celebrating the service’s 100 year anniversary to create a new ‘centenary lounge’ and large outside social area for current and future generations. The service was currently nearing their target and planning for this work had already commenced.

Records showed the service worked closely with external healthcare professionals. For example, the service had weekly communication and visits from the local GP to discuss any concerns or health queries. Staff also contacted the GP surgery outside of scheduled calls if they had any urgent requests.

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.

There was an embedded culture of learning at the service. Lessons learnt were appropriately identified and shared with the staff team to support improvement and positively impact people’s experiences. The registered manager shared learning at the service from accidents, incidents, complaints and safeguarding concerns to mitigate risks and improve outcomes for people. Staff were encouraged to share their feedback during meetings and supervision to help with the development of the service.