Eastfield

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 Inadequate. 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.

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.

Staff 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. Relatives were happy with the culture within the service with one telling us, “All in all we’re very happy. It’s the care that counts. How good the staff are. They are so sweet and very kind.” A second said, “They (people) wouldn’t survive without these girls. Most of the staff have been the same over the three years.”

It was evident staff had a common goal to provide the best care for people. Staff were seen communicating with people throughout the day in a kind and compassionate way. They took time to listen and respond to people, taking an interest in what they had to say. When staff spoke to us about people their spoke fondly of them.

The registered manager told us, “We’ve had challenges since the last inspection. We’ve introduced new incentives for staff and also introduced a time during each afternoon when all staff stop what they are doing, whichever role they have here, and go and sit with a resident and spend time with them. This has really helped bring everyone together.”

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Relatives were complimentary about senior staffing with one saying, “[Deputy] is amazing. She’s not been here long. She’s a natural, potential manager of the future.” A second relative told us, “[Registered manager] is very good at keeping us updated and explaining what is happening.”

The registered manager told us, “We have done a lot since the last inspection. Initially it was about reviewing the systems and ensuring what we had in place worked well. As part of that, I have introduced new initiatives, such as employee of the month or star of the shift. It’s all about trying to make sure staff feel valued. We have staff meetings now where, rather than just talking at staff, we do quizzes to create more discussion, as well as team building exercises. We have made the environment much nicer for people and changed the furniture.”

Staff felt very supported by management. We were told, “[Registered manager] is a great manager and always there to support. She works the rotas to spread things evenly for staff and there is good communication between the team” and, “I have no problems in approaching any of them (managers). It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

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

Staff said they would feel comfortable approaching management with any concerns or complaints. They told us, “I’ve found the manager to be both supportive and genuinely caring. She fosters an environment where staff feel valued and encouraged to develop both personally and professionally.” The manager had introduced a 10 at 10 meeting for staff from all departments. This gave them the opportunity to speak about people, concerns or changes in people’s needs.

The registered manager said, “We have recently appointed a freedom to speak guardian and on the noticeboard there is the company structure for staff should they need it. The provider has also changed their structure and introduced a regional manager.”

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 felt they were treated equally and management recruited staff from overseas as well as UK staff in all roles within the service. In addition, the registered manager promoted and supported staff from within. A staff member told us, “[Registered manager’s] leadership style promotes growth and development among team members. She supports individuals in pursuing their goals, no matter their role, and consistently creates opportunities for people to succeed.”

Management had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support.

A range of audits were carried out to assess the quality of the service. This included daily walkarounds by management, auditing people’s care plans, the environment, infection control processes and medicines. As a result of some audits, actions were taken to address shortfalls. This included reassessing one staff member’s competency following a medicines error. The registered manager said, “In the last couple of months, I have felt like I was in a much better place. I am now completing regular checks of daily notes, ensuring people are being repositioned when needed and that staff are ensuring that staff are checking people’s toiletries are replenished. I am proud of the work that has gone in over the last 9 months.”

As part of the enforcement action taken as a result of our last inspection, the provider had been sending through monthly service improvement plans with actions and completed dates highlighted. They had used these as an overarching action plan to ensure improvements were made. A senior manager told us, “There’s not only been myself supporting [registered manager]. We have various different teams who can be involved and support.”

The registered manager understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people.

The registered manager had developed links with local healthcare professionals as well as the local community. They told us, “We have no concerns about the relationships we have externally. It works really well. We have the local community come into the service and we also organise trips out. We have an annual garden party which people and families enjoy and local entertainers are involved.”

The registered manager 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. One relative said, “They are improving all the time.” A second told us, “The building is very much improved.”

The registered manager supported staff’s creative ways of improving staff knowledge as we heard how a staff member had initially created flash cards for staff to test staff knowledge; they then went on to create a staff knowledge app which won a national social care award. A staff member told us, “I learnt everything I know about the mental capacity act from that app. It’s great and so easy to use.”

Despite all of the improvements already made to the service, the registered manager was continuing to work hard to help ensure that people’s care was consistently good and that they lived in a suitable environment. They told us, “We completed a complete refurbishment of all the communal areas and we are a quarter of a way through the bedroom refurbishments. People and families are involved in this to ensure their room is personalised and as we are doing each room we are changing the furniture.