Merlin Court 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 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 provider had core values which were shared with staff at their interview, induction and were available at the service. The provider also had their values available on their website. The registered manager said they carried out ‘manager walkabouts’ which helped them spend time with people and relatives every day. They were a visible presence at the service and had an ‘open door’ policy. The registered manager said, “I model the values and I expect staff to do the same.” Management offices were centrally located at the service to enable easy access for people and relatives.

Leaders completed monthly unannounced visits out of hours. In addition to checking safety at night, it provided an opportunity to meet and talk with night staff.

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 service had a registered manager who had joined the service since the last assessment. They were supported by a deputy manager and unit managers. Feedback from staff about the management team was positive. Comments included, “The new manager and deputy are very good. I feel [registered manager] has made a difference since they have been here. They have high standards and is not afraid to say when things are not right. I can go to them at any time.”

There was a clear line management structure which staff understood. Leaders were supported with regular visits from a regional director and other central office staff.

The provider recognised the importance of succession planning for management positions.

Leaders were provided with time and support to complete management work-based qualifications and encouraged to take the lead on specific areas of care.

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

There was information on whistleblowing and safeguarding available around the service and in staff rest rooms. Staff also had information on how to raise concerns on their electronic devices.

Where things had gone wrong the registered manager had investigated fully and where needed written to people to apologise. The registered manager understood their responsibilities under duty of candour processes.

The registered manager told us they wanted staff to see they would deal with any concerns and there would be no repercussions from raising anything. They told us, “We talk about transparency and openness at staff meetings. Staff raise concerns all the time, there is a good open culture.”

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 provider had policies and procedures to support equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were provided with training which was regularly refreshed. There was a culturally diverse team of staff at the service and leaders said they were looking at ways to celebrate different cultures. For example, the kitchen was exploring holding cultural evenings with food from different countries. The service had an area where staff could go and pray, and the registered manager said they fully supported staff having time to do this.

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 were effective in monitoring compliance and identifying areas to improve. Leaders had weekly clinical risk meetings to discuss people’s needs, risks and any areas for concern. This helped make sure any follow up actions were taken such as referrals to healthcare professionals or increased risk mitigation. There was a ‘resident of the day’ process which included a monthly review of all care plans and risk assessments.

There were a variety of quality checks and audits being completed by different levels of staff. There was a monthly schedule of all the different checks which helped make sure all areas of the service was covered. For example, there was a monthly medicines audit, a monthly dining room audit, a quarterly health and safety audit and a bi-monthly food and kitchen audit. Any actions were added to the provider’s electronic systems which monitored them until completed. Leaders and the provider had access to the system which provided a good oversight.

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.

Leaders had good links with healthcare professionals to make sure people’s health needs were met. Weekly visits took place by staff from the local GP surgery, and staff knew who to contact for any health-related condition. Feedback from professionals was positive about the care people received. One professional told us, “The staff appear to know their residents well and always seem to treat them with great care and dignity.”

The service had regular visits from the local authority commissioning team who completed a quality check. The most recent visit was in March 2026 which was positive with no actions identified.

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 registered manager had plans to improve the dementia care provision at the service. They had agreed plans with the provider to carry out work to improve the environment in some areas. This would make the service more accessible to people living with dementia. The provider had also produced a new dementia framework which included more specialised training for the staff. The registered manager said they were identifying leads amongst the staff team who had a strong interest in dementia care to help implement elements of the framework.