Winchester Heights 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 service under the new legal entities. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led.

The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance at this service.

This service scored 62 (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.

Most relatives told us they were consulted about their care and care plans. The registered manager told us how they supported people to attend local church services.

Processes were in place to promote equality and diversity for people and the staff team. We reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose which clearly set out their values. When we spoke with staff, it was evident the providers values were instilled within them, because they spoke about the people they were supporting, with warmth and respect.

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.

People, relatives and staff consistently told us about the positive and caring attitudes of the management team. We observed the registered manager to be supportive to both people and staff. The registered manager talked passionately about ensuring people living in the home were living their best lives and gave examples of how they did this.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The registered manager was able to confidently describe the process for investigating concerns and sharing the outcomes with relevant people.

People and their relatives were asked for their views at regular meetings, and the registered manager had an open-door policy. Staff told us they were confident the registered manager would act if they raised any concerns with them.

Most relatives told us they could speak to the registered manager and felt confident they would deal with any concerns appropriately. One relative told us, “They are approachable and they do listen.”

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 supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. People with protected characteristics felt supported. The provider held regular staff meetings.

The provider did not have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They did not act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes.

The provider failed to assess, monitor, and mitigate risks relating to the health, safety, and welfare of service users and failed to ensure records were relevant and up to date. Although audits were in place and had clear action plans which were followed up during the following audits, systems and processes in place failed to identify the concerns we found at the inspection in relation to risk management, medicines management, recruitment, and person-centred care. Due to the shortfalls in oversight of quality and safety of the service, there was no clear action or improvement plan to address the concerns in a timely way. The lack of accurate, complete, and contemporaneous records increased the risk of people not receiving the correct care and treatment and increased the risk of harm.

Staff and the management team understood the importance of reporting any changes to people’s wellbeing.

There were security measures in place to ensure all paper and electronic information was stored safely and securely. The provider submitted information to partner agencies when required.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. We saw examples of when they had shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Staff worked effectively with external professionals and organisations. We received positive feedback about working relationships. For example, a professional told us, “They are very open… I found a person the other day who was low in mood, they had already made the GP referral…They are very welcoming and accepting of constructive feedback.”

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.

We found some shortfalls during the inspection which we have highlighted throughout our report. Although the provider was motivated to learn and improve the service for people, their overall ambition was limited by the lack of effective risk and quality monitoring systems. This meant they were not always aware of shortfalls to enable prompt improvement and learning. The provider was responsive during our inspection.

We could see on the service improvement plan that a business case has been submitted for the refurbishment of the third-floor dementia accommodation to include furniture, upholstery, carpets and the refurbishment of the Spa bathrooms. Work is due to start on this in January 2026.

Leaders spoke passionately about the need for continuous learning to drive improvements for the service. They described a strong desire for continuous improvement and shared their plans to continue improving the service. The provider shared some case studies with us which demonstrated changes they had made had a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.