Wadhurst Manor

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 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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The management team and all of the staff consistently described Wadhurst Manor as having a positive, open and inclusive culture. Staff, leaders and partners worked together with a shared purpose to deliver care that was person-centred and where well-being and independence was promoted and celebrated.

Staff spoke positively about the service values, and how they were supported to deliver good quality care, where people were supported to live full, active and meaningful lives, with their rights, choices and individuality always respected. Staff members said, “It’s rewarding here, it’s not about just washing and dressing someone, it’s about the whole person, there is an active social life for people, and I think we learn all the time, because no-one is the same,” and “Very approachable manager and always has an open door, support is very good."

Relatives we spoke with praised all the staff, they told us, “The registered manager came into hospital twice, soon as I asked him, he came in to assess and told me what the options were, incredibly helpful, nothing was too much trouble. They are very supportive; they saved a room as discharge was delayed. They never make you feel bad, they called to check up, so considerate and easy."

Relatives were warmly welcomed and offered regular opportunities to share meals, attend events and be actively involved within the life of the home. This inclusive approach had strengthened relationships, one visitor said, “Because staff are so welcoming and it’s such a lovely place, it takes the stress out of visiting, we can relax and just enjoy the visit, we have tea and cake, now the weather is so nice, we sit outside.”

The manager, deputy manager clinical lead and senior leadership team worked closely together to provide leadership that was transparent, consistent and collaborative. The area manager visited regularly and knew staff and people very well.

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.

Staff said about the in-house management team, that they are, “Very visible and will help and advise if we need them. The registered manager told us they completed walkarounds twice daily.

The senior management team was committed to improvement and was open and transparent regarding the improvements made and those that were ongoing. We were told that the focus of the service was to ensure people were safe and happy, and that any learning was taken forward positively.

There were systems and processes in place to support staff development and progression within their roles. They talked of how they were supported to gain qualifications and to consider extending their role, for example to become senior care staff and were supported to become medicine givers, attend to minor wounds and skin tears and received support and training to undertake these extended roles. Regular supervisions, spot checks, competencies and values-based supervisions took place. The provider’s senior management team visited the home regularly and provided support and supervision to the registered manager. The registered manager confirmed they attended organisational manager meetings which enabled learning across the organisation to be shared, and relevant lessons learnt implemented within the home. The provider supported staff to attend external training, conferences and meet with other providers and managers to network through various forums.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff were supported and enabled to voice their views and concerns. They were aware of the whistle blowing policy but felt that they could raise concerns and be listened to. Staff told us, “I feel that I could voice any concern, we can do it anonymously if we want to through whistle blowing or speak with anyone of the senior team” and “We get reminded at meetings and supervisions of safeguarding procedures, raising concerns and whistleblowing options.”

People and their relatives confirmed they knew how to complain, and a copy of the complaints policy was available in the home and on the service website. Relatives told us; they would make a complaint if they needed to but would talk to staff first. A record of complaints was held in the service. These included the information on the complaint and how this was responded to. We saw complaints had been responded to and actions taken as necessary. A visitor told us, they had raised a complaint, and it was immediately addressed by the registered manager, and they were very pleased to have been listened to.

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 had received training in equality, diversity and inclusion and the provider had supporting policies to ensure practices were in line with the Equality Act 2010. Staff did not report any bullying or harassment and knew how to escalate any concerns if required.

The provider had procedures in place to promote staff well-being and worked to provide flexible working conditions if required. There were effective measures in place to monitor, maintain and promote good mental well-being across the staff group. This included supervisions, an open door policy, access to human resources and a suggestion box that could be used anonymously if required. There was a formal recruitment process and equality, diversity and inclusion policy in place to guide equitable and fair recruitment and selection procedures.

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 provider and registered manager had governance systems in place to ensure regular audits were completed. This included all aspects of care and support, accidents, incidents, medicines, health and safety, infection control and catering, as well as continued oversight of the environment and services.

Areas of risk were identified, for example, audits had identified an increase in skin tears and when this was identified action was immediately taken. This included root cause analysis, refreshing people’s risk assessments, discussion with the GP, moving and handling techniques. Actions needed were immediately addressed.

The audits and quality assurance were used alongside clinical governance guidelines to identify any improvements or learning to be taken forward to facilitate ongoing improvement. Information was shared with all staff to ensure improvements became embedded into practice.

Quality improvement visits and mock inspections were carried out, the regional manager confirmed these were used internally to identify areas where the home had done well and where improvements were needed. The area manager shared her overview of the service that fitted into the organisational governance overview.

The provider and registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. The Duty of Candour is to be open and honest when untoward events occur.

We have received notifications as required. During our assessment we found that the management team were open and transparent. They admitted when things had gone wrong and demonstrated how they had used these to make improvements.

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.

The registered manager and provider were proactive in building relationships with other organisations and into the local community to improve outcomes for people.

This included using services such as advocates, physiotherapists, chiropodists and hairdressers. Records showed staff contacted relevant professionals when people’s needs changed and shared information to support continuity of care. One health professional told us, “I enjoy working with the staff here, they are engaged and knowledgeable, and very polite. I have no issues at all, always assist me and take notes.”

Health professionals told us that they have a good relationship with the service and staff work with them in a professional and knowledgeable way. Feedback showed staff worked collaboratively with others involved in the service. Leaders also engaged with wider community and sector partners to support community links, shared learning and improvement. One healthcare professional told us, “They contact me in advance to arrange the yearly review and are always well prepared.” This supported planned partnership working and helped ensure people received appropriate care through reviews.

Staff said they have good relationships with other health professionals, and one staff member told us, “We all work side by side to help people.”

The registered manager said that people were part of their local community. They said, “We are arranging trips out and inviting people in, we have family members helping out as well, building a community.” We were also told that Sussex police visited the home to host a scam awareness evening for residents and relatives.

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.

The management team demonstrated a proactive approach to improving people’s experiences, safety and wellbeing. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was consistently used to make meaningful changes within the home, Such as social activities and choices of trips out and meal choices. This was evidenced by minutes of meetings and action plans.

Staff described an open and reflective culture where concerns, ideas and feedback were encouraged and acted upon to improve practice. One staff member told us, “Any concerns we have are raised and acted on.” The provider encouraged reflective discussions with staff regarding safeguarding, wellbeing and care practices during daily meetings and handovers to support shared learning and continuous improvement within the service. Clinical governance meetings also focussed on outcomes for people and what had been learnt for example, weight loss and skin tears. Clinical governance meetings were also used to discuss new guidance and research. This included wound care and skin problems. The staff also used case studies of certain people who had had experienced challenges in settling into the home. The case study followed how staff had used research, introduced different approaches for the person and had successfully reduced their anxiety problems. The person was now settled and very happy in the home.

Leaders also engaged with wider sector initiatives and shared learning with others to support improvement and innovation with other homes in their organisation.

Technology was also used proactively to support people’s safety and wellbeing. One relative told us, “My relative had a run of falls, the staff put things in place to reduce falls, so grateful to them.” The relative also told us staff responded quickly and kept them informed following incidents or changes in wellbeing.

Senior staff explained information gathered through audits was also reviewed alongside care records to help identify patterns, review risks and inform changes to people’s care and support. This helped reduce delays in support, improve oversight of people at risk of falls and provided reassurance to people and relatives.

The culture within the home promoted continuous reflection and improvement, with leaders and staff working proactively to identify opportunities to enhance people’s experiences, safety and independence.