Chyvarhas Residential and Nursing 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 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 leaders and the culture they created assured the delivery of high-quality 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 inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care 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.

Staff were well motivated and enjoyed working at Chyvarhas. They told us, “It is good here. The staff are pretty amazing and management is pretty alright as well”, “[The registered manager] is a good advocate for and wants the best for residents”, “I think we do a really good job with paying attention to people who may be overlooked like residents who cannot verbalise” and “I would recommend here as a good to place to work”.

People were comfortable in the service and enjoyed interacting with their staff. They told us, “I’m happy here, it meets my needs. I don’t think it could be better. I’m happy with everything”, “I like it here very much. It’s 10 out of 10. They will always help me if I need it. It’s a very good home” and “You cannot find a better place”.

Relatives were also complimentary of the service’s culture saying, “[My relative] is very happy, has never said there is anything [they are] unhappy with. We have another relative who may need to move into a home, and we would want them to come here” and “I think it is lovely. I would highly recommend this place.”

Professionals were confident the service was person centred and told us, “I do not have any concerns about Chyvaras. They work hard here, and they have some very complicated people” and “The staff are really great, this is definitely one of the better homes in Cornwall”.

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.

Staff respected their leaders and had confidence in their manager’s skills and experience. They told us, “[The registered manager] is good, very approachable”, “I really love our managers at the moment. They are so nice and when they have to be mean they are” and “[The deputy manager] is amazing and [the registered manager] is doing really well”.

People and their relatives were complimentary of the leadership team who they reported were accessible and responsive to feedback. Comments received included, “[Person’s name] is the manager. I’m a big fan. If there’s anything I need, I ask [the manager] to ring my son and get things for me” and “The manager looks after us, [they are] constantly on the alert and knows what is going on and will join in, If you want anything, [they] sort it out”.

The registered manager was well supported by the provider and told us, “There is always someone to go to and they listen. I think the support mechanisms were very good”.

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

Staff told us they were able to voice their opinions both during supervision and in wider team meetings. Staff told us managers and the provider’s senior staff were always available to provide advice or guidance when required. One staff member commented, “Even on Saturday during the incident there were people to call and they were supportive”.

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 reported they were treated fairly by management and protected from discrimination. Staff comments included, “I don't feel discriminated against”, “[The provider] was very supportive when I came to this country” and “I think staff get on well and new staff are welcomed in. Diversity and other cultures are respected and everyone gets on really well.”

The registered manager told us staff retention and morale had improved, and senior managers commented, “We have had a focus on staff retention, as when I started we only had 25% of the staff needed and rest were agency. We have developed a good name locally and have not had to recruit too much recently”.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had robust quality assurance and auditing processes which included regular peer reviews of the service’s performance. Where issues had been identified, prompt action was taken to improve performance. In addition, managers meetings were held regularly to enable learning to be shared between services. The registered manager told us, “I do feel well supported, there is a manager meeting every month in one of the homes” and “It is good to be able to share knowledge and experiences. They are useful”.

Auditing processes had identified issues with the quality of some management tasks. As a result, a new deputy manager had been appointed. The registered manager and the provider’s senior leaders recognised the deputy manager was impacting positively on the service’s performance. Their comments included, “[Deputy manager] was promoted in November. I have noticed improvement in completion of audits and similar tasks”.

Staff had a clear understanding of the roles of responsibilities of the management team and reported they were, “well supported”.

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 acted on guidance given. Professionals told us, “Very good at feeding back when they have a concern”, “Good quality communication” and “The staff here will always put through a report if they have any concern”.

There was a focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the service. The registered manager actively engaged with partner organisations on the development of innovative activities for people to enjoy. This included inter-generational engagement with school and nursery groups visiting regularly and the use of new technologies for activities including virtual reality experiences and 3D scanning and printing.

Staff recognised there was a focus on identifying learning and possible improvements rather than blaming individuals when things went wrong. They told us, “If I have personally done something wrong the senior team or the management team will talk to me and explain the consequences or if it is a general issue that will be discussed at a manager handover”.