Forrester Court

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 registered manager told us the service had a diverse team of staff and people living in the home and they strived to provide people with good quality care and make sure staff were properly trained to fully meet people’s needs.

People living in the home and their representatives told us, “I would definitely recommend this care home”, “The manager is really pleasant. When I come into reception, [manager] always checks if my [loved one] needs anything, and also asks how I am.”

A local authority partner told us how the service was making strides in putting people at the heart of their care. An example of this was by supporting people to form a residents’ association to enable them to access local authority community transport.

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.

The registered manager was experienced and knowledgeable about their responsibilities. They told us they strived to run a high-quality service for people living and working in the home and ensure compliance with the legal regulations.

Staff, people living in the home and their representatives were very complementary about the registered manager, management team and the ethos of the whole service. Comments included, “Communication has improved immensely” And “I would not have put my [loved one] in here if it wasn’t for [registered manager]. [They] are so good and have made so many changes for the better. It is now well run and I am so pleased with [registered manager].”

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

The staff and management team said that everyone worked within a culture of openness, honesty, and transparency. Staff were empowered to drive improvement and encouraged to raise concerns when needed. Staff said they had full confidence in the management team and said appropriate action was taken to address any concerns and keep people safe whenever necessary.

The service had effective systems and processes to help ensure people knew how and felt confident to speak up, raise concerns and whistle-blow, without fear of retribution. We saw the service had a whistleblowing policy, which was regularly reviewed and discussed with 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.

The management team listened to feedback from staff through various channels such as quality surveys and team meetings. This ensured the management team and provider promoted an inclusive and fair culture throughout the service.

Staff told us they felt supported to develop their skills and knowledge and were offered training to help with career development. Staff also told us they felt the culture of the organisation was fair and open. One said, “This is the best place I have ever worked. We come from all walks of life and are respected and supported to be ourselves, without discrimination.”

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.

Senior staff and management carried out regular audits and checks to help make sure a good service was consistently provided and ensure people’s safety. Audits covered areas such as medicines, health and safety, accidents and incidents, infection control and care plans. Regular safety checks and audits were also carried out for the environment and equipment.

All the staff we spoke with told us they felt the service was well managed and said the management team were very approachable and supportive.

A member of staff told us, “The new manager is amazing! [Name] is always out and about in the home chatting with us, as well as the residents and their families.” People and their representatives also gave positive feedback about the service, with comments such as, “There have been noticeable improvements in the care home under the new management” and, “Forester court seems organised and well run.”

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

People’s care and support plans demonstrated that people were referred to appropriate healthcare professionals when needed. Information and guidance from external healthcare professionals was shared with care staff to help ensure consistency in providing care and support.

External partners spoke positively about the working relationship they had with the service. Comments included, “The current manager is doing a fantastic job and running a smooth ship.” and, “[Manager] is very quick to respond to calls and emails.”

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 staff and management team told us how they contributed to making improvements to the service. Staff said they were encouraged to put forward improvement ideas and trusted the management team to listen and act.

Staff told us that if things went wrong, the issues were discussed during team meetings and individual support and supervisions. The service had effective systems and processes to help ensure that lessons were learnt when things went wrong. Appropriate action was taken to ensure improvements were made and maintained.