Frithwood Nursing 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. The last rating for this key question was 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.

At our last assessment the provider was in breach of legal regulations relating to good governance. Improvements were found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

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 ensured there was an open, inclusive and positive culture. Staff understood and believed in the provider’s values. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service. They told us they would recommend it as a place to work and as a place to care for a loved one. Comments from staff included, “I feel really supported here. The manager’s door is always open, and they actually listen when you have a problem; it makes a huge difference”, “Compared to other places I have worked, I think this care home is brilliant. They care about the residents and staff” and “There has been such positive changes at the service.”

People using the service and their relatives felt comfortable at the service. Their comments included, “They care about us” and “I think this is a happy place.”

The provider employed capable and inclusive leaders. The registered manager had worked at the service in different roles before becoming the manager. They were a nurse and had a management in care qualification. The registered manager knew people living there and staff well. They had good relationships with everyone. Staff, people using the service and their relatives praised the management style. Their comments included, “[Registered manager] is the best one, so much has changed since [they] took charge. [They] speak to us in a friendly way” and “Managers here treat us very well.”

The registered manager kept themselves updated with changes in legislation and good practice. They attended external meetings, forums and webinars.

The provider had systems to enable staff to speak up about any concerns. Staff confirmed they knew what to do and felt confident speaking up. A staff member told us, “I would report concerns or follow the management structure to senior managers and CQC if I was worried nothing was done about it.”

The provider had systems to ensure staff were well treated and their diversity was respected. All staff attended diversity and inclusion training. The registered manager told us this, “Helped to increase awareness of equality issues, unconscious bias, and the importance of treating colleagues with respect. Training has covered topics related to protected characteristics, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive language.” Staff told us they felt included, and their individual needs were met. The provider supported staff to work flexibly to meet individual needs, such as

childcare, religious practices, or health conditions.

The provider had introduced mental health awareness initiatives to support staff. These initiatives included accessing counselling services. The management team undertook mental health first aid training.

The provider had reviewed their policies and procedures to ensure gender equality, particularly around pay and opportunities for advancement. They had ensured gender equality in career progression was improved, with more women being promoted to leadership positions.

The provider had effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. Since our last rating of the service, the provider had introduced improvements which had a positive impact and had improved care. There was a wide range of audits and checks. These led to lessons learnt and service improvements. The provider’s systems had helped to monitored and mitigated risks.

The provider had a range of suitable policies and procedures which were regularly reviewed and updated.

The staff worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people’s individual needs were being met. The staff liaised with specialist healthcare teams to help assess and plan the right care for people. External professionals provided training for staff to help them understand about good practice. For example, dementia care specialists had provided specialist training for staff.

The management team met with other managers within the organisation and externally. They shared ideas about good practice and lessons learnt.

The provider fostered a culture for learning and improvement. The registered manager organised weekly meetings with the staff to discuss different topics. For example, topics around good practice, healthcare conditions, lessons learnt and keeping people safe. The staff told us these meetings were useful and informative. The registered manager had a notice board with a different topic each fortnight to inform people, staff and visitors about an area of interest. At the time of our assessment, there was a display about sepsis with warning signs and information about how to avoid this and how to support people with suspected sepsis.

The staff team included specialist ‘champions’ who provided information and support for others on key areas of learning. For example, the moving and handling champion had trained staff and observed them supporting people so they could identify and correct any issues.