Silverbirch House 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 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 registered manager had strong values and looked to recruit staff who could deliver high-quality, compassionate care. They told us, “I’ve got to make sure they (staff) work with my residents. They have to make my residents happy. I’m looking for staff with a personality, a sense of fun and compassion. I want them to come to our home and give the best care that they can. I want my residents to feel safe with my staff. I want staff to have good observations and be aware of changes. They not only have to meet Barchester’s standards, but our own standards too.”

People and relatives spoke positively about the care provided. They said, “They are very, very good caring people. Utterly delightful”, “They couldn’t have cared for my father more when he was here. We had no qualms about moving mum in here. The staff are lovely. They are so kind”, “We love it. Mum absolutely loves it”, and “The staff are amazing universally. They create an atmosphere of positivity and community. They offer dignified, age-appropriate care which enables people to enjoy life.”

Staff also shared positive feedback about working at the service. They told us, “I love working here” and “The care is really good. We take time to get to know the residents, and we have good relationships with relatives and families.”

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 demonstrated the skills, knowledge and experience needed to lead effectively, doing so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was visible and approachable, and people felt confident raising any concerns. People and relatives told us, “[Registered manager] is very attentive and friendly”, “[Registered manager] is always around. We would have no issues going to her if we were unhappy with anything” and “The manager is lovely. She always says my door is open. Come in anytime.”

Staff also spoke positively, saying, “[Registered manager] is a lovely lady and she will help us with doing showers or anything”, “We are really lucky, (management) very approachable, very hands on and there is good communication from them” and “The manager is very good. I feel like she cares about the residents and she cares about the staff as well. There is a good culture. It feels like a family.”

The registered manager understood their responsibilities to notify CQC of incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns, and when to escalate issues to the safeguarding authority. A professional commented following a recent visit, “You are very proactive in terms of reporting, and safeguarding was managed well. You have lots of initiatives, such as quizzes, which I really like to test staff knowledge and you lead by example and have the respect of your team.”

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

Staff felt able to speak up. One staff member told us, “You need to be able to speak up for yourself.”

Regular staff meetings were held giving staff the opportunity to express their views. Additionally, staff had the opportunity to meet with their line manager on a 1:1 basis.

Staff were also invited to complete an annual survey giving feedback on what it was like to work for the service. Latest results showed a high level of satisfaction from staff in the way they were treated by both management and the provider. This all supported staff to express themselves and feel listened to.

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 service consisted of a multicultural staff team. The registered manager told us, “We have culture days where staff respect each other’s cultures. The chef makes relevant foods, and some staff will dress up. When interviewing we touch on equality and we have an appreciation scheme where people can nominate a staff member who has made a difference to them. They record why and then the staff member will comment on how this made them feel. Everyone likes to be thanked for the work they do.”

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.

Regular audits were carried out within the service. This included at management as well as provider level. Where actions were identified, these were addressed promptly. For example, shortfalls highlighted in a recent housekeeping audit were resolved by the following month. A human resources audit of staff personnel files had identified that decisions at interview stage were not being recorded by management. This was rectified and we saw it was happening, following this audit, for new staff being interviewed.

Other governance processes included reviewing call bell response times, medicines, infection control and analysing accidents and incidents.

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.

Staff worked with external agencies, partners and professionals to support people to have appropriate and varied experience. This included visits from the local church, a canine club, gardening club and the opportunity to attend a dementia disco in a neighbouring service. The registered manager told us, “We’ve had a dementia specialist who comes in and next we are running a Parkinson’s event. We’ve had talks on being scammed and we also have someone come in and read poetry to residents.”

They went on to tell us they had links with the “GP, speech and language therapy team, occupational therapists, district nurses and Parkinson’s nurse.” These relationships helped ensure people received the most appropriate care and treatment when they needed it.

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 a clear vision for the service, centred on continuous learning, and improvement. They told us, “I want the best for my residents. I am here for the long haul. I want us to continue to grow. I want my residents to be the happiest we can make them. Obviously, it is a business, and I could fill a bed daily, but I need to ensure I can meet people’s needs.”

The registered manager also recognised the importance of learning from audits and reviews, taking prompt action where shortfalls were identified.

Innovation within the service was also evident through initiatives such as the chef’s involvement in a pilot programme focused on improving and maintaining effective weight management. This initiative was just one area where the registered manager was driving improvement across the service.