Forge House Care North Kent

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 newly registered 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 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 had a clear understanding of these values. One staff member told us, “The culture here is a positive and encouraging one, for people and staff.”

The manager told us that being visible and listening to staff was important to enable them to oversee the culture of the service and provide support to staff.

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 visible and clear leadership in the service. Staff knew who to go to if they needed support to meet people’s needs and told us the manager was approachable and supportive. One relative told us, “[Person’s name] always smiles widely and hugs him when she sees him.” One staff member told us, “I can go to the management team anytime, the door is always open, and I know they will listen and support me.”

The manager told us they felt supported by the provider and encouraged his staff team to discuss with him any challenges they may face. They told us that work-place adjustments were made to staff schedules to ensure that staff felt supported and valued when the need arose. For example, one member of staff was supported with an alternative digital system to access people’s care records more easily.

Staff supervision and appraisals had taken place regularly and staff told us they found it supportive and helpful. One staff member told us, “I feel valued and supported in my role. Communication with the office is excellent, and the management team are very approachable. They not only listen but take action to make things as good as they can be.”

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

Staff told us they felt confident to voice their concerns about anything in the service to the management team, and to approach external authorities if needed. One staff member said, “The people we care for are our number one priority. If something is not being dealt with, I would certainly take it further.”

The provider had processes in place which supported staff to speak up about any concerns within the organisation. The manager told us they operated an open-door policy, and welcomed residents, staff and visitors to raise concerns with the management team. The manager told us, “I make sure I am open, fair and transparent. I am happy to receive any issue from anyone and regularly check in with staff, visit the homes, and keep up to date with people’s families.”

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 told us they were treated well and supported equally by the management team. The provider had processes in place to encourage an inclusive culture and optimise staff well-being. Any issues were discussed at team meetings, during supervision and face to face as they arose. Staff told us they would not hesitate to speak to the management team if they needed to. Staff surveys had taken place to gain their views about how the service could improve, and there were programmes in place to support staff to develop in their role. One staff member told us, “The teamwork is very good. And there is good opportunity to develop; all seniors are now level 5, and they started as care workers. It’s an empowering place to work.”

The manager told us they made adjustments to accommodate staff’s personal circumstances, and focused on providing an environment whereby work-place issues could be discussed on both a formal and informal basis. The manager told us, “We are committed to staff welfare and have commissioned a welfare service to support the well-being and cultural experiences of our workforce.”

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.

There were systems in place to support the manager to identify and address risks to the service and quality concerns. The manager reviewed audits, and quality checks were completed which included qualitative care planning, staff training, accidents and incidents, health and safety, and medicine’s management.

Outcomes from these audits were discussed with the management team and action plans put in place to address the areas required. For example, the manager had provided families with a login to view their loved ones’ care records and the staff rota, with an option to leave feedback.

One relative told us, “The staff and management listen to any matter extremely well. I talk to the manager in detail, and with on-site staff every visit. We have developed a mutual respect.” Another relative told us, “I can access [person’s name] care plan now and this helps me keep in touch with what’s going on.”

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 staff and management team told us they worked with a wide variety of health and social care professionals including dentistry, SALT, mental health services, the local authority safeguarding and the DoLS team, to ensure that residents were safe and protected from harm. Visiting health care professionals recorded their visits onto people’s electronic care plans, ensuring that people’s records were accurate and secure. One health care professional told us, “Forge House Care works very well with us. Staff know the people well. Communication is good and timely, and, in my experience, they will explore and exclude any physical health need prior to seeking our support.”

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 service ensured they continued to learn and improve the service. We noted they had implemented learning from safeguarding incidents and accidents and shared these with staff to drive improvement. The management team were keen to continue to build on positive relationships with partner agencies and the local authority. The manager told us, “Moving forward, we shall continue to prioritise staff training and development to uphold the highest standards of care. I want to build on what we have started by continuing to create a supportive environment where staff feel empowered to provide the best possible care for our residents.”