Aspen Lodge 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 newly registered provider. At our last assessment under a previous provider, we rated this key question requires improvement. Under the new provider, 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.

Under the previous provider, the service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to quality assurance and failure to report notifiable events. Under the new current provider, improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

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. Staff were aware of the values of the organisation and the manager’s strategy for developing the service. An understanding of equality and diversity was promoted, and staff were listened to and supported. There was open communication in place and good relations with other agencies to help prevent the development of a closed culture.

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. Relatives, staff and professionals spoke highly of the manager. One relative said, “I see the [manager] every week. I have confidence as they act on what I say.” Another relative said, “Very confident in them as they are just really nice and sort problems out straight away. They are very approachable.” The manager led by example and was quick to identify any areas for improvement or poor practice. They worked with the provider and staff to agree solutions and actions for change. The provider was supportive of changes and of the manager in developing their role.

The manager fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. They acted on feedback and empowered staff and people to share their views or raise concerns. One person told us, “The [manager] is always approachable.” A relative said, “I know who the [manager] is. If I want to know anything I can knock on their door, and they take time to talk to you.” The staff team told us they could speak up in staff meetings or in individual supervision sessions. The manager had also introduced a suggestions box in the reception area that anyone could use. The manager understood their duty of candour and apologised to all involved if something went wrong and shared updates on action taken.

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. They implemented policies around equality and diversity to minimise the risk of discrimination and abuse and promoted equity and inclusion. They promoted learning amongst staff and people of different beliefs, cultures and backgrounds to foster tolerance and acceptance and reduce the risks of bias developing. They ensured the service was accessible for all and made reasonable adjustments in the home or practice where required. The provider engaged with people and staff regularly and had a zero tolerance of discrimination or abuse.

The service had a manager in post applying to become registered. The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They acted on information about risk, performance and outcomes and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider and manager had good levels of oversight and systems in place that helped them to quickly identify concerns. Notifications were submitted to CQC in the event of reportable incidents. The manager was keen to support and develop the staff team and had begun to arrange additional training. Staff understood their roles. However, areas for improvement were still being identified and addressed by the new manager. Not all action plans had yet been implemented and there was no evidence to show improvements being made would be sustained.

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. Professionals gave positive feedback about the manager, the staff team and their working relationship. One professional told us, “There are timely referrals into community nursing. They respond well to any requests of interventions required and always willing to work together for good outcomes. People appear to be encouraged to maintain their independence and we have a good working relationship with care staff and the manager who is very receptive in any guidance or advice we give.”

The provider and manager focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged new ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They were open to new ideas and developing practice to improve outcomes for people. Staff were supported to develop their skills, acquire new qualifications and reflect on how to apply learning to practice. They encouraged sharing of opinions and worked collaboratively with the whole staff team, people, relatives and professionals.