Knappe Cross Care Centre

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 improved to good.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

The provider had met the concerns identified in the warning notice they were served following our last assessment, December 2024. They are no longer in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance.

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 provider requested feedback from people and their relatives, via a survey and actions were taken. Resident’s meetings were an opportunity for people to be asked their opinions and to be kept informed. People we spoke with knew who the registered manager was and were positive about them.

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 registered manager had settled into their new position and was enthusiastic about the home and was aware of their role and responsibilities. This was their first role as a registered manager, and they were being very well supported by the operations manager and deputy manager. They worked cohesively together and had a good working relationship.

The registered manager told us, and we saw they were very visible in the home. They worked alongside staff and undertook out of hours checks.

Staff told us they attended regular staff meetings and if they were unable to attend, there were minutes of the meetings. The registered manager told us how they called regular meetings to discuss any emerging concerns.

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

Regular staff meetings took place. We saw minutes of these meetings which showed staff were kept informed about changes and improvements and that lessons learned were shared.

The provider had processes to support staff to speak up. This included supervision meetings, handover meetings, staff meetings and a whistleblowing policy. Staff told us they knew about the provider’s whistleblowing policy and would not hesitate to use this to benefit staff and people living at the home.

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 provider had policies to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to protect staff from discrimination and harassment.Following concerns raised by staff, the operations manager had implemented a ‘anti-nepotism policy’ to ensure there were clear guidelines for staff to follow.

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 provider had systems to monitor the standard of care provided at the service. The registered manager had a program of provider audits to complete to identify any concerns and areas needing improvement. Any actions identified were monitored through the service’s improvement plan.

The operations manager had completed regular oversight monitoring. This looked at the outcomes of the audits, speaking with people and staff and looking at the service. Any improvements identified were added to the provider’s service improvement plan. This meant the provider had a more robust oversight of the service.

The service had a clear staffing and management structure and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities.

Statutory notifications were submitted as required.

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.

Staff told us they worked with healthcare professionals so people’s needs would be met.A healthcare professional told us, “I have found the manager and clinical leads very amenable to discussion regarding the needs of their service users. They always adopt suggestions promptly and appear happy to follow professional guidance."

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.

Following the concerns at the home we identified at our last assessment in December 2024, The provider and their management team had worked with numerous external agencies to identify concerns and put in place and strengthen processes at the home. During this assessment, it was evident they wanted to continue to improve the service and knew there was still work to be done.

Staff told us they had been kept informed about the issues which had needed to be addressed at the home. The service had processes to learn from any complaints, incidents, or accidents. This included the oversight of accidents and incidents and looking at themes and trends.