Charnwood 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 Charnwood had faced. The provider had processes in place to demonstrate they listened to, acted upon and learned from concerns. The provider held resident and relatives’ meetings and acted on concerns. They used complaints as a learning opportunity and shared these with staff. The registered manager recognised they had to make difficult decisions at times to drive service improvement. The services’ objective read, “We will improve the quality-of-service offerings through staff training, process and retaining of quality staff and investment in staff and the environment.” We found they had learnt from the previous assessment and made significant improvements to ensure people received safe care of a high quality. All staff from housekeeping staff, registered nurses to a director, spoke about people with kindness and compassion. This demonstrated staff had a clear understanding of treating people with respect and ensuring they prioritised people’s equality, diversity and human rights.

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. The provider was fully engaged in the running of the service. We found all of the directors knew the service well and assisted the registered manager in monitoring the safety of the service. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager and a clinical lead who led by example and demonstrated compassion and strong leadership skills. Their vast experience working clinically with people living with dementia and cognitive impairment informed their practice.

Staff we spoke with told us, the change in management since our last assessment had improved the service. Whilst they recognised there had been several changes, the management team now had clear responsibilities, and they knew who to raise specific concerns with. Staff praised the clinical lead and the positive impact they had on the service. The registered manager was well supported by the provider to make the required improvements.

Staff reported, 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. Staff said the new management structure helped as there was always someone they could report things to. Staff received coaching from an external consultant to ensure they felt empowered to speak up about their concerns. There were also policies in place to guide staff.

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 were supported to progress in their roles. The new management team supported staff to progress and develop, they promoted diversity through their recruitment strategy, advertising posts locally, nationally and internationally. The management team and wider staff completed Equality, diversity, and inclusion training. Staff had access to the services policies and systems.

The provider now 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. Roles and responsibilities were clearly delegated by the management team who had effective oversight of the service. Staff said, the registered manager was ‘firm but fair’ who had high standards. Staff meetings demonstrated staff were supported and received regular feedback about the homes performance and progress. Systems to audit the quality and safety of the service were effective in identifying and addressing areas for improvement. For example, detailed audits of care records were completed to identify any issues. This ensured staff had accurate information to provide safe and effective care. As detailed within this report, the provider engaged an external specialist consultant who carried out detailed audits to support the service improved. These audits demonstrated the significant improvements the service had made. The provider had reviewed the electronic system in place and this was now being used effectively to monitor people’s progress, for examples if a person did not meet their fluid target for the day action was taken to support the person to ensure they did not become dehydrated. Staff felt supported by the management team and told us they would act on any concerns to protect people living at Charnwood.

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. Feedback we reviewed demonstrated the service had worked effectively with external partners such as the local authority to improve the quality and safety of care. Activities on offer were now person centred, and all people were offered meaningful social engagement. People said they enjoyed the flexibility with activities. We observed two activities. The first was an arts and craft activity which a small number of people joined. The second was an exercise routine which encouraged people to complete chair exercises using pom poms to lively music. This was well-attended, and people seemed to enjoy this activity. Staff were encouraging, energetic and attentive. Once this activity had been completed, staff played calming music on to help to relax people.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. We found there was an effective system in place to drive service improvement. We found findings were shared with staff to ensure improvements were made. For example, the last assessment and findings from the external consultant were shared with staff. We found significant improvements had been made since the last assessment. This meant the service had learnt from previous failings and improved the quality and safety of care people received.