Willow Tree Lodge

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 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

There was 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. There was a positive culture at the service. Staff told us they felt supported and valued by the manager and provider. Staff said they felt proud to work at the home. One staff member told us, “I go home at the end of the day knowing I have made a difference to people who need support.”

The registered manager and deputy manager both worked alongside the staff team and were able to oversee staff practice. Staff told us they felt the communication was good within the service and were informed about changes to people’s needs, the service, policies and other changes.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was a nurse by background and was able to support both the care and clinical staff at the service. They had been in post for a significant length of time. Staff told us they respected the RM because [they were] “friendly but firm” and made changes which were good for the residents. Staff said the registered manager was supportive and thanked them for their work. People and their relatives were positive about the manager and told us they were accessible to them. One relative said, “I can speak to the manager anytime; if [they are] not in the building, I will phone [them] or send a message and [they] always gets straight back to me.”

The registered manager fostered a positive culture where staff and people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There were surveys in place for people, their relatives and staff. Staff told us they felt listened to when they raised concerns. One staff member said, “We are a good staff team and can go to anyone. I always go to [the registered manager or deputy manager] if I need to, they are good at listening and get things done if they can”. Staff were able to whistleblow if they needed to do so. When staff had raised a concern, this had been investigated appropriately, and action had been taken to address the concern.

Where people or their relatives had raised concerns or issues these had been listened to. For example, one person had asked for some additions to the menu, and these were put in place.

Feedback from people from the annual survey was positive. People said they felt they were treated with kindness and respected. There were also regular meetings for residents and relatives. One relative told us they felt encouraged to share their views and suggestions were listened to, such as suggestions about entertainment and activities.

The provider and registered manager valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Most of the staff at the service had worked there for a long time. The registered manager told us they felt this was because staff support needs such as childcare were respected and supported. Staff told us they felt respected and well supported in their role.

The provider and registered manager 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. There were quality systems in place to support improvement at the service. Where concerns were identified, action was taken to address these. The registered manager and provider reviewed audits and there was an action plan in place for any changes needed. When actions were completed the action plan was updated to reflect this. Clinical governance was provided by the registered manager and deputy manager who were both registered nurses. Nursing staff were supported to ensure they revalidated their registration. Revalidation isa process all nurses need to complete to remain registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and continue practicing as a nurse in the UK.

The registered manager 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. Partners were positive about the staff who supported people and how well nursing staff knew people. Some partners did raise concerns about the level of information in care plans, however, we raised this during the inspection. Some information had not been transferred to the electronic care plans when the service had moved from paper. The registered manager put a plan in place to address this.

The registered manager and provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. Learning from past inspections had been embedded in to practice at the service. For example, improvements to infection control or diabetes support for people. Where there were concerns at other services related to the provider lessons had been shared to reduce the risk of concerns occurring across services.