Forest Lodge 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 this key question was not rated. At this assessment we have rated as good. Whilst we found some inconsistencies with some recording, the provider immediately addressed these issues.

This service scored 71 (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. The staff we spoke to were committed and promoted the values and principles of the organisation. There was a positive culture within the service, staff were friendly and welcoming and were open about the support they offered to people and the barriers they faced.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care. Staff felt support by their manager’s and felt that they led the service by example. They also told us how managers were always available for support when needed and how the manager of the home would make themselves available at weekends or could be contacted at other times if their help was needed. The provider had an on call system which provided a round the clock advice line that included all times outside office hours.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. They had policies and systems in place that actively encouraged people to express their views about the service. The provider was transparent about complaints they received; they addressed each one in good time and ensured there was a satisfactory conclusion to the issues raised.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff told us how the manager was willing to listen and could be approached if there were concerns. There was evidence that the service worked closely with the local authority and learnt from each event that occurred in the service. We heard how this learning was addressed at various levels in the organisation and where information that would benefit the practice within the service and how this was disseminated down from senior members within Bramley Health Limited.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes. The managers told us about systems they had in place for checking records were continually maintained and updated but they were not always effective. The provider’s auditing systems did not always pick up that important documents around consent were not complete and in some cases were missing altogether which meant that provider had not obtained people’s permission about aspects of their support.

The provider had a range of governance systems in place which captured many other things, these included audit checks around all aspects of medication, health and safety checks as well as a broad range of welfare checks on each person. Checks were carried out by staff and managers within the service and by the provider’s own quality team.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Other professionals the provider worked with told us about the willingness of the service to engage with other services to work seamlessly in providing the best possible care for people.

People and their families told us that they went out and used a range of community facilities, getting to know and developing connections with local businesses and shopkeepers.

The provider focused on continuous learning and had a desire to deliver equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively demonstrated a willingness to use the latest technology that delivered, good, safe support for people. There was a focus by the provider to learn from practice and a willingness to adapt to change if it was in the best interest of the people they supported.