Eastbourne Gardens 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 service is dual registered, this is the first assessment for this 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.

The home was welcoming and staff told us they enjoyed their role and they felt they worked together well as a team. The provider had a clear vision to develop and improve the service with the implementation of new models of care and environmental refurbishment.

The registered manger and senior leaders were aware that changes to the provider had caused concerns for staff and they were working hard to ensure staff were aware of the rationale for changes and staff continued to feel supported.

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 registered manager had worked at the home for a number of years. We saw that they engaged with people and staff throughout our visit and had a good knowledge about people’s needs.

There was a clear management structure within the home. The registered manager was supported by the operations consultant, compliance manager and services manager. The provider visited the home regularly and had oversight of the service. Visitors also told us they had positive interactions with staff and felt welcomed.

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

A whistleblowing policy was in place, this included key principles of freedom to speak up. ‘Your voice matters’ guidance and information for staff was seen displayed in staff areas.

Staff told us they were aware of the whistleblowing policy and would raise concerns with managers if needed.

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.

Equality and diversity were actively promoted, and processes were in place to help ensure staff felt treated equitably. There was a clear recruitment process in place. This was overseen by a dedicated recruitment team. Recruitment included all relevant checks and information to ensure fair recruitment and selection procedures.

The provider and registered manager valued diversity and promoted an inclusive and fair workplace. The registered manager told us staff were supported to celebrate important religious celebrations. Staff told us that previously they had worn cultural dress and shown this to residents, which people had really enjoyed.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had highly effective governance, management and accountability arrangements with a clear framework in place to ensure regular audits were completed, these included care, medicines, health and safety, infection control care and catering. Audits and quality assurance was used to identify any improvements or learning to be taken forward to facilitate ongoing improvement.

A governance report was produced monthly. The registered manager and clinical team reviewed all governance reports and findings were discussed at higher level, being escalated up to the quality team when required. This ensured additional layers of oversight to identify any concerns or improvements. All required actions were recorded and monitored to ensure these were addressed promptly.

The registered manager confirmed there were daily, weekly and monthly meetings and they felt very well supported by the provider with clear pathways to follow. For example, accidents and incidents would be analysed, a level of harm indicator would be reviewed, and this may trigger further steps. Any care and nursing issues would be discussed at clinical meetings.

There were regular regional director calls where clinical needs would be discussed, and regional directors visited regularly to support the registered manager and discuss any issues or concerns. A mock inspection report had been completed in April 2026, this was used to identify areas where the home was excelling or where improvements were needed.

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.

Staff worked in partnership with other health and social care professionals to enhance the care provided and ensure people benefited from a wide range of specialist expertise. A visiting healthcare professional told us, “I feel the nursing staff and assistants do have a good understanding of their residents’ needs and priorities. Our medication review advice is actioned following our reviews.”

The home had community links which were recognised and supported, for example, the provider supported work placements for young people in the local area. Relatives told us they felt involved and welcomed when they visited Eastbourne Gardens.

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 provider had systems in place to look for continuous learning, innovation and improvement. The registered manager described how they used reviews and robust governance processes to identify learning and to make improvements. This included steering groups informed by governance. For example, if any increase in the number of infections a steering group was set up .

The registered manager told us, “We think what is it we can do to improve. We reflect, have group supervision for teams and remind staff what we need to do for people. We respond to any indicators to react before they get worse. Daily and weekly checks and daily walk arounds are used to ensure we pick up anything unusual.”