Shawford Springs 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.

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 told us the culture at the service had improved and that morale was “good.” The registered manager told us they had worked hard to improve morale. They said, “I love the home, the staff are great, really good. The challenge when I got here was to change the culture. I flipped it on its head, and there is a much better feeling here now.”

Regular staff meetings took place, and we saw minutes of these. Staff said they felt valued working at the service. One staff member said, “We had a staff meeting a few weeks ago - we had a pizza night. I think most people do feel happy to come to work here.” Daily head of department meetings took place, and we saw records of these.

The registered manager told us about a ‘wonder wall’ where people and staff could leave positive messages for staff. We saw this appreciation board and noted many messages from people and staff naming staff members who had gone above and beyond, or just a simple message of thanks.

Regular staff surveys were carried out. We reviewed the last 2 staff surveys and saw that staff satisfaction scores had significantly improved.

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 management team were visible. People and their relatives knew who the registered manager was. One person’s relative said, “The manager is very friendly and helpful. The admin team members are also caring and attentive.”

All staff spoke highly of the management team and said they were “open and encouraging”, “easy to speak to” and “lovely.” One staff member said, “The management team are really good: supportive. In other jobs it was a bit dauting going to the manager but here I feel at ease.”

One health professional said, “The home really has improved massively since [registered manager and deputy manager] took over as the management team. The home is one of the best on my caseload.”

The registered manager showed us many examples of positive changes made to how the service was run, and how they had supported and encouraged the staff to feel more confident and empowered in their roles.

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

Staff told us that felt confident to raise concerns and that they would be listened to. Whistleblowing procedures were in place and there were signs on notice boards reminding staff how to do this. One staff member said, “We have a speak up champion, so I would go to them, or higher up if needed. I'm happy to speak up.”

Another staff member told us, “I was nominated for the [champion] role and I'm happy to voice my opinion and advocate for others. We have meetings with regional management, and I can help people escalate things if they need me or if they felt they can't deal with it through [registered manager and deputy 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.

The staff team was diverse; all the staff we spoke with told us they felt valued and included. The registered manager gave examples of how they had supported diversity, such as providing a private space for staff members to pray and ensuring quiet spaces for other staff to rest during religious fasting periods. The registered manager said, “I planned a staff meeting which clashed with Ramadan, so we moved it so that staff didn’t have to break their fast.”

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 was a schedule of audits and checks which were carried out on a regular basis. When issues were identified, action plans were put in place, and we saw evidence of actions being completed within the specified time frames. There was oversight at provider level where monthly service reviews took place, and support from the provider’s clinical development nurse to oversee clinical aspects of the service. The range of audits and reviews carried out pulled together any areas of improvement into the provider’s action plan. For example, the theme of triangulation of risk assessment and care planning was discussed during the inspection with different staff members and the management team. We saw this in practice when we observed a staff member updating a care plan. Records showed the provider action plans were reviewed weekly.

Daily walk around checks were carried out as well as regular spot checks; we saw records that showed these also took place overnight and at weekends. No concerns had been noted.

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 service had a good relationship with the local GP service and teams of other health professionals. One health professional said, “I think it's a lovely care home, really nice, very clean, it's a good vibe, everyone gets on really well. I have no concerns.”

The registered manager told us “I think we have a good relationship with the local community. We have ‘knit and natter’ and the local community come in for that. People who have stayed with us for respite and gone home get invited back for cheese and wine parties. There was a local 10K run last week and we put together recovery bags for the runners which we gave out. Everyone knew who we were.”

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.

Incidents and accidents were reported, investigated, and analysed for trends. Lessons learned were shared with staff during staff meetings and during daily handovers and heads of department meetings. Staff received regular training and updates and all the staff we spoke with said they felt trained to carry out their roles.

Staff told us they were routinely asked for their feedback and suggestions and felt they were listened to. The staff champion roles were good examples of how the service had empowered staff to lead on specific areas where a need for improvement had been identified. The provider had enabled staff to develop professionally in order to improve outcomes for people living at the service and for staff working at the service. The registered manager told us “People's ideas are great and I'm willing to try them. Staff are good at thinking of different things to do.”