Blenheim Court 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has remained requires improvement. This was because the management and leadership had been inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created had not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

The service was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance and we had taken enforcement action. Improvement was found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

This service scored 61 (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 did not always have a clear shared vision, strategy and culture which was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. They did not always understand the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider was improving the strategy and culture of the service, a new manager had been in post 3 months and was promoting a culture based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity, inclusion and engagement. The new manager understood the challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Staff felt better said morale had improved and predominantly felt listened to. The care and support we observed being delivered, was person-centred. Staff spoke positively about the new manager but had reservation as there had been many changes over the last 2 years. The developing positive culture needed to be embedded and sustained.

Not all leaders understood the context in which the provider delivered care, treatment and support. They did not always embody the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had not always had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively, and had not always done so with integrity, openness and honesty.

A new manager was in post, who had the skills and experience to lead effectively, and they were working with staff to promote a positive culture and values. Staff said they felt better supported and had confidence in the new manager. However, felt the provider needed to listen to ensure the values were embedded and sustained. For example, staff said, “We raise issues but don’t have access to the minutes of meetings with the provider, we get told the owner will not allow more staff and that the dependency tool indicates we have enough staff despite that staff are struggling to meet the basic needs of people.”

The manager supported a culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People and their relatives spoke positively about the new manager. One person said, “The manager is great, they are good at their job.” A relative said, “The manager [name] is lovely. Helpful and kind and the communication is always good”

There were policies and procedures in place to support staff to speak up if they had concerns about care and support. Staff said they were confident to raise concerns with the manager and felt listened to. However, did not always feel the provider listened. The provider assured us this was improving and was working with the new manager to further improve communication.

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 were supported fairly and there were policies in place to ensure equality and diversity was promoted in the workplace. Staff told us the manager was flexible and accommodating to any personal needs and supported them to remain at work. Staff said protected characteristics were considered and reasonable adjustments were made where required. Staff felt valued and included by the new manager.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate. The service had had a period of inconsistent management. However, a new manager had been recruited and been in post 3 months. They were working with the provider to improve governance and quality monitoring to ensure outcomes for people improved.

New robust quality monitoring systems were being implemented which were identifying areas for improvement. The management team were continuously looking at ways to make improvements to enhance the quality of life for people who lived at the service. However, the new systems need to be embedded into practice and sustained with a consistent management team.

The manager understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They continued to share information with partners and collaborated for improvement. The staff team worked closely with health and care partners, and they followed advice and guidance to ensure good outcomes for people.

The provider had not always focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They had not always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They did not always actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The provider had made many improvements since our last inspection and was working with the new manager to focus on learning and improvement across the organisation. The manager had looked at ways to improve the service by learning lessons and sharing good practice. These needed to be continuously reviewed to ensure learning was embedded into practice.