Saint Elkas 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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 82 (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 demonstrated a clear and shared vision, strategy, and culture, underpinned by transparency, equity, equality, respect for human rights, and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. This approach reflected a deep understanding of the challenges faced by people and their communities, as well as their specific needs.

The vision and strategy were clearly defined, effectively communicated, and consistently implemented, influencing all aspects of the service. This collective direction was shaped through openness, fairness, and meaningful engagement with people, their families, and the wider multidisciplinary team. The registered manager ensured these values were embedded in everyday practice, guiding how staff worked, how decisions were made and how people were supported. Staff at all levels demonstrated a strong understanding of the challenges people faced, including barriers linked to their communication, confidence, health, mobility or past experiences. The registered manager encouraged staff to recognise these challenges and respond with compassion, creativity and flexibility. This resulted in a culture where people were supported to overcome barriers and achieve their goals.

The registered manager modelled the service’s values in their daily interactions. They promoted openness, honesty and accountability, creating an environment where staff felt confident to raise ideas, share concerns and contribute to ongoing improvement. Staff told us they felt respected, listened to and trusted, which helped maintain a positive and motivated workforce. Staff consistently demonstrated behaviours that aligned with this ethos, such as taking time to listen to people, adapting communication to ensure understanding, and encouraging people to express their views. This approach enabled people to grow in confidence, develop new skills and feel safe, valued and supported.

The provider’s strong culture also extended to partnership working. Staff actively engaged with external agencies, community organisations and people’s families to ensure the service remained responsive, inclusive and aligned with best practice. This collaborative approach reinforced the shared direction and ensured the service continued to evolve in line with people’s needs.

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The provider and registered manager demonstrated a strong and informed understanding of the needs of people living with mental health conditions. They ensured the service operated in line with best practice and legislation, using their knowledge to guide staff and shape the quality of support people received. The registered manager remained highly visible and approachable within the service. People, staff and professionals told us they were easy to speak with and consistently available. One staff member said, “I am always able to go to [registered manager] with anything, they are the best manager I have ever had. I never worry about coming to work, there is a great culture here.” A stakeholder also commented, “[Registered manager] is such a warm and positive manager and leader who works extremely hard for the residents and always has their best interests at heart. I understand that Saint Elka’s has a low staff turnover and I am not surprised by this, given the leadership and overall environment.”

The provider and registered manager maintained open, respectful and consistent communication with staff, people using the service, their relatives and external professionals. This helped create a culture of trust, transparency and shared responsibility, where everyone felt listened to and able to contribute to the ongoing development of the service. Leaders actively promoted person‑centred care and ensured people were respected, listened to and supported to have choice and control over their lives. The registered manager supported staff through effective supervision, training and development, encouraging reflection and learning to inform service improvement and maintain high quality compassionate care.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff confirmed they felt encouraged to raise concerns and were familiar with the provider’s policy. Relatives also told us they felt confident any concerns would be taken seriously and acted upon. One relative said, “I have not had to raise any concerns, but I would not hesitate in saying [registered manager] would want to put things right if I did.”

Clear, accessible posters were displayed throughout the service for people, visitors and relatives, explaining how to raise a concern and who to speak to. This ensured everyone had easy access to information about the complaints process and how to seek support if needed.

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 registered manager demonstrated how they valued staff by working closely with them to understand staff’s individual needs and by making reasonable adjustments to accommodate and support them in their work. The provider understood the importance of having an inclusive workplace. Staff were supported through training and supervision to inform their practice and understanding of equality, diversity and human rights in the 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. The registered manager demonstrated a good oversight of the service through the systems they had in place which ensured regular audits took place to drive service improvement. The provider also had systems in place to ensure regular compliance audits were carried out. We reviewed the findings of these audits and found the actions recommended had been promptly addressed by the registered manager to improve the quality of care provided.

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. People’s wellbeing had been significantly improved through the staff team’s strong partnership working with external stakeholders. The registered manager and staff had developed well established links within the local community, enabling people to access a wide range of support, social opportunities and wellbeing focused activities. These partnerships included links with community groups, local organisations, activity providers and specialist services, all of which contributed to a varied programme of meaningful engagement. Staff worked proactively to identify opportunities that aligned with people’s interests, goals and support needs, ensuring activities were inclusive and accessible. We observed the positive impact this had on people’s confidence, mood and overall wellbeing. People spoke passionately about the opportunities they had and described how much they enjoyed taking part in them.

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. We found effective systems and processes in place to support continuous learning and improvement across the service. Findings from audits, meetings and feedback were clearly recorded and thoroughly analysed by the registered manager, who used this information to identify themes, monitor trends and drive improvements.

There were many examples of actions taken in response to what had been learned. For instance, when people suggested changes to the menu or requested additional tableware, these were promptly put in place. This demonstrated that feedback was actively used to improve people’s day to day experience. Regular staff meetings took place. We reviewed the minutes of these meetings and found that learning from the registered manager’s oversight of the service was routinely shared with staff. Staff were encouraged to contribute their own ideas, reflect on their practice and provide feedback about their experiences. This created a collaborative environment where staff felt valued and involved in shaping the service.

We also found that when incidents or accidents occurred, specific learning took place to understand the cause and identify what could be done differently. This approach ensured improvements were embedded and that the service continued to evolve in response to people’s changing needs.