Strawberry Fields 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 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. The provider implemented systems to ensure the culture of the service was positive. The provider and wider management team demonstrated the knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced at Strawberry Fields since the introduction of nursing care. The provider explained it had taken time to build the team to ensure they worked effectively. The registered manager explained, “We are in a good position, it’s taken a lot of hard work but we’re a great team and we are all focused on making Strawberry Fields successful.” The provider had processes in place to demonstrate they listened to, acted upon and learned from concerns. The provider held staff, resident and relatives’ meetings and acted on anything raised within these meetings. They used complaints as a learning opportunity to improve the quality and safety of care. The providers ethos read, “To help our Service Users lead happy dignified lives.” We observed staff to carry out their duties in line with the provider visions and values.

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 supported by a knowledgeable deputy and newly appointed clinical lead. The deputy manager led the on-site inspection with ease in the absence of the registered manager. This demonstrated a well led service as the registered manager ensured effective and safe management in their absence. The nominated individual was present at the service and staff knew them well. All the staff we spoke with told us the provider and management team were approachable and fair. A staff member told us, “They are great, they have supported me personally as well as at work.” People we spoke with knew the management team and felt confident in their skills and knowledge. A relative we spoke with said, “I know the manager, and they are very approachable. I often speak to them, and they are always around.” The registered manager told us they were well supported by the nominated individual to carry out their role effectively.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us the registered manager, deputy manager and provider listened to them when they reported concerns about the service. We observed staff to enter the office and approach the deputy and nominated individual with ease on several occasions. We found the atmosphere for people and staff was friendly and supportive. Staff were supported in supervisions and meetings to share concerns in their preferred environment. Staff we spoke with were aware of the whistleblowing policy and knew how to raise concerns both internally and externally.

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 told us they were treated kindly and fairly; they were encouraged and supported in their roles. The management team recognised individuals’ strengths and supported them to develop. The management team and staff completed Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion training. Staff had access to the services policies and systems.

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. Systems to audit the quality and safety of the service had improved significantly following feedback from local commissioners and were now effective in identifying and addressing areas for improvement. For example, detailed audits of care records were completed to identify any issues. This ensured staff had accurate information in order to provide safe and effective care. Following audits action was taken and fed back to staff to drive service improvement. A consistent and experienced management team meant the service was well led. The registered manager was aware of their regulatory requirements and responsibility under the duty of candour. Duty of candour is a professional responsibility to be honest with people when things go wrong. The registered manager, deputy and nominated individual was open and honest throughout the assessment process and welcomed all feedback, they acted on any minor issues without delay. The management team displayed a positive attitude to the assessment process and was responsive to our requests for information.

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. A professional we spoke with told us, “The staff are very good at communicating, they are able to give me a good overview and will alert if they feel something is not working for a person.” People and their relatives told us staff supported them to access services outside of the organisation such as the hairdresser and chiropodist. People were supported to go out and about into the local community, and the service held events such as Christmas parties. Staff had also contacted a religious pastor who created a newsletter for people living at Strawberry Fields. This meant the service promoted a sense of community.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. There was an effective system in place to drive service improvement. We found findings were shared with staff to ensure improvements were made. For example, lessons learnt following issues with skin integrity were shared between the providers other services to share learning across the organisation. This reduced the risk of incidents reoccurring. The management team completed workshop training to strengthen staffs’ knowledge to improve the quality of care. Reflective practice was implemented to enhance critical thinking and promote continuous learning.