Birch Green 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. This key question has been rated 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 service had a clear mission statement that was shared and discussed with staff throughout their recruitment journey, to make sure that all levels of staff had the right values and ethos. Staff said they felt listened to and were proud to work as part of a wider team and help support the people they cared for. The provider had appropriate policies, and staff undertook training around equality 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. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders completed training and leadership courses to supplement their knowledge. Staff said managers were approachable, and they fostered an open-door culture. The registered manager and deputy manager had good knowledge about the people who they cared for. They worked alongside staff during care tasks, which helped staff see that managers were visible and aware of the challenges of the role.

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

The provider had a whistleblowing policy and staff said they knew how to raise concerns. Staff said they felt they would be supported, and any issues they raised would be addressed.

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.

There were appropriate equality and diversity policies and training courses. Staff did not have any concerns in this area and agreed it was an inclusive workplace.

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.

There was a clear business continuity plan and contingency planning in place. There was a distinct governance structure, and different levels of managers were aware of risk and the remit of their roles. Performance monitoring was in place with a schedule of audits, both clinical and maintenance. The registered manager submitted statutory notifications to relevant agencies which is their duty to do so.

The provider arranged for internal compliance inspections and listened to and implemented feedback from other organisations such as the fire service and local authority.

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.

The managers and staff had good working relationships with health professionals such as the GP, hospital discharge planners and district nurses. The provider established links with the local community and supported people to go to Church and local shops. Pupils from local schools and choirs visited the home, and students could complete their work placements at the home where this was appropriate.

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 managers were committed to ongoing learning and encouraged each other to complete leadership training. Staff were encouraged to undertake their NVQs to complement their knowledge and skills. Staff were encouraged to share their ideas about how the service could improve and benefitted from 1 to 1 supervision meetings and an appraisal twice a year. The provider put a ‘lessons learned’ folder on each floor which was discussed during team meetings, in order to make changes and improvements to practice.