Ferndale 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 Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.

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 service demonstrated a positive culture underpinned by a clear commitment to delivering high-quality, individualised care. Leaders and staff showed a detailed understanding of people's needs, preferences and personal circumstances, which informed the support provided. Interactions observed throughout the assessment were consistently respectful, caring and focused on promoting people's wellbeing. Staff described the management team as accessible and supportive. Staff highlighted the regular presence of leaders within the service and the availability of guidance when required. This leadership approach contributed to an environment where staff felt supported in their roles and enabled the delivery of care that reflected people's needs and choices.

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 consistently described the support they received from leaders in positive terms and told us communication within the service was effective. Staff felt well informed about developments within the service through regular handovers, meetings and day-to-day communication. Feedback regarding the registered manager was particularly positive, with staff highlighting their experience, accessibility and commitment to supporting both staff and people using the service. The registered manager maintained a visible presence within the home and demonstrated a proactive leadership approach, which contributed to a positive working environment and the delivery of good quality care.

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

Staff were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service through a range of feedback mechanisms, including team meetings, supervision sessions and annual surveys. Staff told us they felt able to express their views and were confident that issues raised would be considered and addressed by the management team. The provider had effective arrangements for responding to concerns and maintained clear whistleblowing procedures. Staff understood how to escalate concerns where necessary and demonstrated awareness of both internal reporting routes and external agencies. These arrangements supported an open culture where concerns could be raised appropriately and contributed to ongoing service improvement and the delivery of safe care.

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 Registered Manager demonstrated a clear commitment to supporting staff wellbeing and fostering an inclusive working environment. They worked closely with individual staff members to understand their circumstances and implemented reasonable adjustments where appropriate to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff told us they had benefited from flexible arrangements to their working patterns to support their personal needs and wellbeing.

The provider had established policies and procedures in place to ensure recruitment, probationary processes, attendance management, and other employment matters were managed fairly, consistently, and in accordance with equality and non-discrimination principles. Staff also had access to flexible working arrangements where these could be accommodated.

Feedback from staff reflected a supportive leadership culture. One staff member told us, “The management team have been very supportive when I have had personal issues and they did everything they could to support me, which was really helpful.” This demonstrated that leaders were responsive to staff needs and promoted a workplace culture in which staff felt valued, supported, and able to perform their roles effectively.

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 had effective arrangements for monitoring the quality and safety of care. A range of audits and oversight processes were used to review key areas of service delivery, including medicines management, infection prevention and control, environmental safety, and the management of accidents and incidents. The internal medicine audit had not picked up person-centred information about when people might need their PRN medicines or how staff should recognise this. The Registered Manager acknowledged this at feedback and stated he would adapt the audit to ensure this was monitored in future audits. Findings were reviewed by the management team and used to identify learning opportunities and drive service improvements. Staff spoke positively about the leadership of the service and described managers as accessible and supportive. One staff member told us, “This is a great home to work in. I have been here for over ten years. I feel part of a good team and the manager is always available.”

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 maintained positive working relationships with commissioners, the local authority and other partner agencies, using these partnerships to share learning and support continuous improvement. Advocacy services were accessed where required to help ensure people's views and wishes were represented.

People were supported to remain engaged in their local community through regular activities, outings and social opportunities. Relatives were welcomed and encouraged to remain involved in people's lives, helping to maintain important relationships and promote person-centred care.

The service worked effectively with a range of health and social care professionals, including GP practices and community nursing teams. Feedback and records demonstrated positive, collaborative relationships with external stakeholders, who expressed confidence in the leadership and management of the service.

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 provider demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and service improvement, with a clear focus on enhancing people's experiences and outcomes. The Registered Manager and staff promoted an open and transparent culture and were receptive to feedback from people, relatives, staff and professionals. Feedback was welcomed as an opportunity to identify areas for development and drive improvements in the quality, safety and effectiveness of the service.