Beech Tree House

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 changed to 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. Leaders created a shared direction that made sure each individual person was at the centre of their support when decisions about their lives were being made. Closed culture risks were identified, assessed and mitigated. Leaders had worked with people, their representatives and staff to build a culture that focused on enabling people to enjoy their lives. Staff told us how much they enjoyed working with the people they supported. One support worker said, “[People] have a good quality of life here, we have all built very good relationships. We know them well so we can pre-empt their needs and understand and can manage any issues before they escalate”. The deputy manager told us, “The home was completely different when I started working here, we’ve had a complete overhaul of staff. It was crucial to lay the foundation for a good home for people”. A relative told us, “I feel involved in [person’s] care. [Person] is going to hospital for dental care, and they liaise with me well. I could not wish for better people. [Person] has been on holiday, and they are settled”.

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 culture at the service was positive and the management team understood the importance of aligning the services values with the ’Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. The management team had a clear vision for the service, and this was shared with the staff team. Staff told us how they had been supported to develop and grow in their roles. One senior support worker said, “I started as a night support worker and now do a lot of training for the company. Choice [the provider] supported me to become a trainer; I support new staff to understand medicines and meds administration across all of the homes.” Staff told us how they felt supported at work. One support worker said, “I can raise any issues, we are a very open team. I can express myself to management about anything that is worrying me, personally or about the people we support”.

The deputy manager told us how things had positively changed since the registered manager started. They said, “[The registered manager] deserves a lot of credit”.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff felt listened to and said that they were happy to raise concerns at any time. The provider had a whistleblowing policy and ‘Speak up guardians’ whose contact details where clearly displayed on the noticeboard. Staff supervisions also took place regularly where staff said that they could raise any concerns.

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 felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues, which had a positive impact on the care they delivered to people. There was a diverse workforce at the service. We saw staff were included in discussions surrounding the support provided at the service. A staff member told us, “I have my ideas listened to”. The provider supported staff equality and staff told us they were encouraged to be involved in the service and discussions.

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 management team had a good oversight of the service and risk, including the quality of people’s care and support. The registered manager and provider had a range of audits and checks in place to monitor the service and drive improvement. These included the auditing of safe medicines management, and safety checks including fire safety and equipment checks. Actions were taken when improvements were required. One relative told us “You get the feeling when you visit and go in the office that there is calm and order. I remember years ago that there was a sense of chaos. Now you get the sense that people are doing their thing and everything is under control”.

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. Records demonstrated collaboration with external professionals and families, whilst keeping the person at the centre of their care and support. Professionals provided positive feedback, and we were told “I would like to give compliments to the staff team of Beech house for managing some of our very complex patients who have presented with significant challenging behaviours. The team have worked with dedication and perseverance to ensure that both patients are achieving improved quality of life and are accessing the community with support. The Beech Tree team work cohesively with a manager who is sensitive and receptive to the needs of our patients”.

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. The provider sought to learn from events such as accidents and incidents and ensured staff received appropriate training to carry out their roles safely and effectively. Staff meetings were held to communicate information, updates and allow staff to provide feedback. Staff attended regular supervision meetings where learning needs were discussed, and they told us they felt supported with their career development. One member of staff told us, “I enjoy the teamwork, hard work is recognised, I have my ideas listened to. I have been promoted”. The service sought feedback from relatives and representatives to understand what mattered most to people and to inform improvements to the service.