Green Acres

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 shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equality and human rights, and diversity and inclusion.

Managers and staff knew the provider’s stated values of, ‘Passionate, Resilient, Kind’ and reflected these in their attitudes and behaviours. The provider regularly asked staff for feedback about whether they saw these values reflected in the behaviour of their colleagues.

The provider had inclusive leaders who understood the context in which they delivered care and support, and embodied the culture and values of their organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Relatives told us managers were supportive, responded positively to feedback, and were committed to the provision of safe and effective care.

Staff said they received good support from the registered manager and senior staff. They told us they had access to advice and guidance when they needed it.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour, which is a legal requirement for health and social care providers to be open and transparent when things go wrong.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Each person had a keyworker, part of whose role was to advocate for the people they supported. The registered manager told us they planned to develop the keyworker role further to ensure people’s views and wishes were regularly sought and acted upon.

Relatives told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of recrimination. Staff said they were encouraged to speak up if they had concerns or ideas for improvements and said their feedback was listened to by managers. One member of staff told us, “Anything we can change, anything we can suggest to make their lives better, we can tell them.”

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.

The provider regularly reviewed the culture of the organisation in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were confident that their concerns and ideas resulted in positive change to shape the service.

The provider had clear responsibilities, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this with others when appropriate.

The provider's quality team carried out an annual audit of the service and the registered manager produced a monthly governance report, which was reviewed by the area manager. The report included details of any accidents and incidents, safeguarding referrals, complaints, and medicines errors.

There was a service improvement plan in place. Monitoring of the plan was ongoing and was included in the area manager's regular checks. Where areas for improvement were identified, action was taken to address them. For example, an audit of people's care records identified that the 'About Me' section in one person's care records was lacking in information. This action was included on the service improvement plan and had been signed off as completed.

The provider had developed a business continuity plan to ensure people’s care would not be disrupted in the event of an emergency.

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.

Relatives told us the service had worked well with them and other professionals to ensure their family members received the care and support they needed. One relative described their family member’s experience at the home as a “Success story” and said this had been achieved through, “Specialist professionalinput and staff training provided by the NHS, including psychology, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy, and Green Acres’ own expertise including willingness to rigorously follow theprofessional guidelines in close collaboration with us.”

Professionals told us the registered manager and staff communicated effectively with them, which promoted good outcomes for people. one professional said, “Since [registered manager] has taken over, I have not had any issue with communication. I have been able to book my visits with no issues.”

The provider focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

Staff ensured they adopted a consistent approach in the support they provided, which helped achieve positive outcomes for people. There were processes in place to ensure learning was taken from accidents, incidents, and examples of good practice. The provider supported staff to develop their knowledge and skills. Some staff had registered for and achieved further, nationally recognised qualifications.