Gateford Hill 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 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.

The provider implemented systems to ensure the culture of the service was positive. The provider and wider management team demonstrated the knowledge and understanding of the challenges Gateford had faced and were working hard to build trust with staff, relatives and people who used the service. The provider had processes in place to demonstrate they listened to, acted upon and learned from concerns. The provider held staff, resident and relatives’ meetings and acted on anything raised within these meetings. They used complaints as a learning opportunity to improve the quality and safety of care. The manager recognised they had to make difficult decisions at times to drive service improvement. The provider’s visions read, “Our teams support every person with the compassionate care and the dignity they deserve – celebrating and respecting different cultures and pastimes to create inclusive environments.” We found the provider, staff and management team now reflected these values and ensured people received person centred care.

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 manager was supported by the providers senior leadership team to monitor and improve the service. The deputy manager was new to their role and was being mentored by the manger to develop their skills. Staff told us, there had been lots of changes and the leadership of the home had changed significantly since our last assessment, staff said they felt confident in the managers and providers skills to improve the service. A staff member we spoke with said, “The manager is firm but approachable and they’ve had lots to deal with it’s a difficult job they do; things have improved.” The provider ensured the manager had the resources to make and sustain the required improvements. Extensive support from dementia, lifestyle and nursing specialists had been utilised to drive service improvement. The manager told us they were well supported by the providers senior leadership team to carry out their role effectively.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff said the management team and provider listened to them when they reported concerns about the service. We found staff were supported in supervisions and meetings to share concerns in their preferred environment. Following the last assessment HR clinics were set up and continued weekly to allow staff to raise concerns if needed. Staff we spoke with were aware of the whistleblowing policy and told us of multiple avenues they were able to raise concerns.

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 morale at the home had improved which enhanced their experience. The management team explained following our last assessment expectations and culture were discussed at meetings and supervisions to ensure all staff felt they were treated fairly. Management and staff completed equality, diversity, and inclusion training. Staff had access to the services policies and systems. Staff were supported to progress within their chosen career. We found staff to have been supported and had progressed to more senior roles at the service.

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. Governance systems identified areas for improvement. For example, medicines audits highlighted areas for improvement, we found where issues had been highlighted action was taken to drive improvements. The provider developed an action plan following our last assessment and used this to improve the quality and safety of care. The provider and manager had effective oversight of the service which meant areas for improvement were highlighted and acted upon without delay. The manager and deputy manager were aware of the regulatory responsibilities and submitted information to CQC without delay.

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. People and their relatives told us they were involved in planning and reviewing care needs. A professional we spoke with told us, the service was effective in communicating and they had no concerns about the quality and safety of care at the home. The professional explained staff had worked well under difficult circumstances at times. The provider utilised their internal specialists and worked in partnership with them to improve the quality-of-care people received.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. We found there were effective systems in place which were now utilised to drive service improvement. Lessons had been learnt across the whole service since our last assessment. Incidents and actions taken were discussed at staff meetings to ensure improvements were made and embedded. Daily staff meetings took place to ensure any emerging concerns were dealt with without delay. During this assessment we found significant improvements had been made. This meant the provider had learnt from previous failings and improved the quality and safety of care for people living at Gateford Hill received.