New Meppershall 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 Requires improvement. 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 71 (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. Feedback from people and their relatives indicated a positive culture in the home. Records showed people were treated as partners in their care and, wherever possible, supported to be present in their local communities. We observed good teamwork among the staff, and they communicated with people positively and respectfully. Leaders cared about the wellbeing of people, staff, relatives and visitors. A person said, “Nothing is too much trouble for them”.

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. A relative said, "[Registered Manager] is very approachable and helpful." All staff felt the registered manager would listen and act on any concerns. A staff member said, "[Registered Manager] will walk around and is always visible on the floor. In the morning, [Registered Manager] will say good morning and ask if there are any concerns or if anything has happened. The Clinical Lead is a really good nurse, and we can literally ask [Clinical Lead] anything.” Leaders regularly received compliments from relatives for their inclusive and collaborative approach. A relative said, “They are all very approachable.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People, relatives and staff told us they would feel able to speak up if they had any concerns. A relative told us the registered manager had apologised when a staff member had delivered a person’s care incorrectly. A person told us, “I think they listen, I have no complaints whatsoever, if I did, I would speak to the management.”

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff confirmed they were treated with fairness and equality and felt well supported. A staff member said, "I have no concerns about the way I have been treated."

We identified systems in relation to how staff documented when people experienced emotional distress, ensuring care plans were always accurate and mental capacity assessments were in line with the MCA code of practice needed improvement. The provider was responsive to our feedback and made and planned improvements immediately. The provider's other systems, such as those related to infection prevention and control, oversight of service improvement plans, and monitoring of accidents such as falls, were well managed.

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. We saw evidence of external health professionals being involved in people's care. A relative said, “The manager is very helpful, if I email [Registered Manager] responds quickly.’’ The provider had systems in place to communicate good news stories and updates via social media and regularly contributed to a newsletter organised by the local authority.

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. This was evident by their responsiveness to our feedback, initiatives in progress such as reviewing their strategy for supporting people living with dementia and how they sought feedback from people and key stakeholders. The provider had a service improvement plan in place that was regularly reviewed.