Wentworth Close

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 although further work is required to clarify roles and responsibilities and to improve the tools used to seek feedback from people to reflect their needs and aspirations.

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 68 (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 and culture which placed people at the centre of the service.

However, some staff told us that although they were encouraged to share their views on the running of the service, they did not always receive feedback on matters raised or actions that were agreed were not always dealt with in a timely way. Minutes of meetings also demonstrated that a wide range of matters were repeated at subsequent meetings. The area manager told us they would put in additional supports for the manager to ensure that matters raised were dealt with more effectively.

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. The manager demonstrated integrity, openness, and honesty.

There was no registered manager in post for 11 months. The previous registered manager divided their time between two care homes. A new manager had since been appointed and was working full time at the service. They had applied for registration with Care Quality Commission and their application was being processed.

The manager felt supported by the area manager who visited periodically to audit the service and to provide ongoing support. They told us that as a new manager they might not always have reached out for support in a timely way, when needed. They told us, “the support has always been there and going forward I will make sure that I seek advice and support.” People’s relatives and staff told us the manager was visible, approachable, and supportive. A person’s relative told us they welcomed the manager’s calm approach in difficult situations.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. The service had a positive behavioural support (PBS) lead who monitored all accidents and incidents and any learning as a result was shared with staff through staff meetings and staff handovers. A health professional told us “[Staff member] has extreme diligence, attention to detail and professionalism and [their] standards of care are outstanding.” People’s relatives told us they felt comfortable raising concerns. A relative told us, “Staff are available if any concerns come up.”

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. Reasonable adjustments were in place where appropriate. A staff member gave us an example of a temporary adjustment they had requested, and they said this had been agreed and respected. Another staff member told us, “I feel supported and if I had a something I couldn’t go to a male manager about I could go to the area manager.”

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance.

There was some blurring of roles. One staff member was a support worker and, a PBS lead with additional responsibilities as part of that role. A small number of hours were allocated to complete tasks related to the PBS lead role. However, the manager told us that additional hours were needed to complete this role effectively. The PBS lead told us staff expectations of the role were over and above what could be achieved in the allocated hours. The manager although having worked at the service for a number of years was still new to the role. We spoke with the manager and the area manager who acknowledged the impact the recent changes had for staff, and it was agreed that a review was needed to clarify roles and areas of responsibilities and support available.

Staff told us that although staff meetings were held and staff had opportunities to share their views, issues brought up were not always addressed. A staff member told us that attendance at meetings was not always good. They felt that if staff had opportunities to attend virtually when not on shift, they might be more likely to attend.

The last annual surveys for families were completed in May 2024. The survey was used to capture information about the whole organisation but only one response was received in relation to a residential service, and it was not clear if this was in relation to Wentworth. We spoke with the manager and area manager and whilst acknowledging the difficulties in seeking feedback, advised reviewing the format used to obtain more specific feedback about the service.

The staff survey was sent out by the organisation and the manager advised that they received general feedback about the surveys and if there were specifics about Wentworth, they would be advised but none had been reported to them.

Audits took place at the service and these were effective. There were clear policies and procedures in place and staff followed these.

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 staff team engaged with the local communities and partners. This included GP’s, nurses and others involved in their care and support. A health professional told us, “They appear extremely dedicated and aware in terms of their clients and on how best to meet their clients’ needs. I have never had any reason to doubt their professionalism and high level of care.”

As the manager was new to the role we gave details of the local registered manager’s forum.

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.

Staff told us they were offered opportunities for further training. We were told that regular meetings were held with other managers within the organisation so that there were opportunities to share ideas and give support to each other.

We were told the organisation held an annual conference where there was a dinner and award ceremony. Staff could be nominated to receive an award. The manager told us that last year a staff member received an award celebrating their achievements.