Rowan 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.

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. There was a positive culture at the service. Although staff were unsure of any vision or values, all told us they felt valued and enjoyed working at the service. One staff member said, “I like it here. It's a turning point in my life; I love to be with people who need care and compassion. Dealing with dementia is very new to me, but the training I have had has been good.” Regular staff meetings took place. Staff told us they were provided with minutes if they were unable to attend a meeting.

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 management team were visible and accessible, and staff spoke highly of them. Staff told us they felt listened to and that communication in general was good. Staff comments included, “[Registered manager]; he's great. If I've got an issue, I will go to him. He resolves things” and “[Head of care] is very new, but we like her. We can see more interventions happening. We embraced her happily. She's got fresh eyes and fresh ideas.” The registered manager told us they had an open-door policy for staff. We saw this in practice during the inspection.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There was a whistleblowing policy in place, and minutes of meetings showed staff were given the opportunity to raise concerns. The registered manager told us they actively encouraged staff to speak up. Staff told us they felt confident to speak up. For example, comments included, “If I had any concerns about care standards, I would go to [registered manager]. He always says, ‘If you’ve got an issue, don’t bottle it up, come and tell me.’ When you’ve worked in care a long time, you know what's right and wrong” and “We don’t have to hide anything [we’re worried about]; we should be bold and confident to get everything out. In team meetings they do ask if we have anything to say and they also encourage us to come to the office if not comfortable in the team meeting environment.”

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. There was a diverse staff team working at the service, many from overseas. The registered manager told us the whole staff team worked together to be inclusive and that people living at the service enjoyed learning about the different cultures of staff. They said, “[Staff name] is very good at respecting overseas staff traditions, we celebrated Holi recently for example. Some staff have come in and worn saris, done some traditional dancing for the residents. We do themed menu days as well. Our residents who have travelled a lot, love that.” One staff member said, “We may all come from different places but there is good teamwork here."

Although the provider had clear responsibilities, roles, and systems of accountability, the audits in place in relation to medicines management had not identified the issues we noted. Despite this, we saw the management team used information gained from other audits and oversight 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 clear roles and responsibilities. Regular audits and checks were carried out in all areas of the service and audits showed action was taken where areas of improvement were identified. Analysis of clinical aspects of the service such as nutrition, skin integrity and infections were carried out monthly to identify any trends, alongside daily clinical meetings. Audits were also carried out by an external organisation to monitor the quality of the service. These were done quarterly, with action plans produced and this meant there was additional oversight. Records showed identified actions had been completed or were ongoing.

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 service had a good relationship with the local GP service and teams of other health professionals. The registered manager said “We have events, like summer fairs, Christmas fairs, and they are generally well attended. Our activities team are really good at engaging with the local community; the local schools come in for carols, the local farm brings the animals in, and the local dance school puts on shows for us.”

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. Incidents and accidents were reported, investigated, and analysed for trends. Lessons learned were shared with staff. Staff told us incidents led to care plan and risk assessment reviews as well as input from other professionals such as physiotherapist if required.