Dignity Residential 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 meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 82 (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 registered manager demonstrated an exceptional approach to the culture, openness and transparency of the service

Without exception people staff and relatives said there was an open-door policy, and staff were encouraged to ask for guidance or report any concerns. Where incidents occurred, the service was transparent and open with the details of the events. They explained matters to people, relatives and stakeholders.

It was evident the home had an open, inclusive and welcoming culture, where people using the service came first and their satisfaction was a priority. This supported staff to continually aspire to achieve good outcomes for people and led to high-quality care being delivered.

Without exception staff demonstrated a passion for providing outstanding outcomes for the people they supported and were proud of the difference they made to people's lives. Feedback from staff, relatives and visiting professionals emphasised this was an extremely caring service.

The service had a homely, welcoming and calm atmosphere. People and relatives told us staff supported them to live meaningful lives. A staff member said, “It has a great family.”

The management team were described as approachable and supportive. Staff were confident they would be listened to and any concerns quickly addressed.

A member of staff commented, “[Registered manager] is very approachable, their door is always open.”

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The service was led by a highly motivated and exceptional registered manager who demonstrated a strong commitment to helping people living at Dignity Residential Care Home to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. They maintained a strong and visible presence within the service and worked alongside staff on a daily basis to support people’s care. This hands‑on and approachable leadership style created a positive and open environment where staff felt confident to raise concerns and share ideas. Leaders responded quickly and effectively to issues as they arose, ensuring people’s safety, wellbeing and quality of life were consistently prioritised.

The registered manager demonstrated a clear and sustained commitment to openness, partnership working and person‑centred care. They actively promoted transparency and collaboration and led effective joint working with adult social care teams, health professionals and other external agencies. This proactive approach supported well‑coordinated care and contributed to positive outcomes for people using the service.

The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. Systems were in place to ensure people who spoke up were supported and staff told us they felt confident to raise any concerns with the registered manager.

Staff told us there was an open culture at the home. They said they felt encouraged to share their thoughts, experiences and improvement ideas. They said they were supported to talk about their own wellbeing when they needed to without fear of discrimination.

There were processes for staff to speak up and tell the provider and others if something was wrong. There were opportunities for staff to raise concerns anonymously. Feedback was gathered and action from feedback was taken to drive improvements. There were policies in place on whistleblowing and staff were aware of how to whistle blow should the need arise.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Without exception staff felt respected, supported, and valued within all roles. Staff said they could raise any concerns without fear. They said the service continuously promoted equality and diversity in daily work and provided opportunities for development and career progression. For example, the registered manager told us how they supported staff to complete adult care diplomas. The service was supporting various staff members to become 'champions' in areas such as dignity, nutrition and hydration, safeguarding and infection control. The champions received additional training in their chosen area so they could bring best practice into the home, share their learning and act as role models for other staff.

Staff were incredibly supportive of each other and worked collaboratively. The staff team displayed compassion, kindness, and empathy towards each other. One staff member commented, “I love working here, it’s like one big family.”

The support staff offered to each other contributed to the team having a very positive morale which contributed to a low turnover of staff which meant people were cared for by a consistent team who knew them very well.

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

The service had a range of quality assurance systems in place to monitor the safety, effectiveness, and quality of care. These included regular audits of care planning, medicines management, health and safety, infection prevention and control, and staffing. The registered manager reviewed accidents, incidents, complaints, and safeguarding concerns to identify learning and support continuous improvement. Feedback from people, relatives, and professionals was actively sought and used to inform service development.

The provider's policies and procedures were up to date and in line with best practice. They supported staff to deliver care which consistently met the regulatory requirements.

People's personal records were kept secured and confidential. Staff understood the need to respect people's privacy including information held about them in accordance with their human rights.

These systems provided effective oversight; however, we identified some minor recording issues within medicines and recruitment records, where documentation was not always fully completed or consistently maintained. These issues did not impact on people’s safety. There were opportunities to further strengthen governance arrangements to ensure records consistently reflected the good care being delivered and supported safe, personalised care. The registered manager showed insight into these areas and a commitment to ongoing improvement.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered manager demonstrated a clear commitment to openness, partnership working and person‑centred care. The registered manager promoted values of transparency and collaboration, which guided how the service worked with adult social care partners, health professionals and other agencies. Leaders consistently applied these values in practice to support coordinated and effective care. One visiting professional commented, “I have no concerns at all about the service. It's one of the care homes I feel really safe with. I really like working with this home. The manager is brilliant. We have a really good ward round with the GP and they [staff] are on the ball with everything.”

Dignity Residential Care Home worked closely with other organisations to deliver effective care and support to people. The registered manager regularly sought advice from community health professionals such as the GP, district nurses and the community falls team. This process supported staff to achieve good outcomes for people and to help maintain their health. We received positive feedback from the health professional visiting the service during our inspection. They informed us staff proactively sought their advice if they had any concerns about a person's health and any advice they gave was acted upon.

People's relatives told us the registered manager and staff engaged extremely well with them. People's relatives were involved in the planning and review of their family member's care, where this was appropriate. Staff ensured people's families were informed of any developments in their care, where they had permission to do so. Staff balanced respecting people's privacy and confidentiality with maintaining open and honest relationships with people and their families.

The registered manager and staff team worked well with other external services to achieve positive outcomes for people. The service was transparent, collaborative and open with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies. It works in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, service development and joined-up care.

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 registered manager was committed to constantly driving improvements and looked for innovative ways to refine practice. A high-quality robust governance framework ensured the service was regularly audited and checked to ensure consistency and the providers values and high standards were met. Action plans were used efficiently to address any concerns and to identify even better ways to deliver the service.

The registered manger used feedback and learning from multi-disciplinary team meetings, safeguarding enquiries and partnership working to drive improvement. They reviewed outcomes of joint working, identified areas for development and implemented changes to improve coordination and continuity of care. This approach supported ongoing learning and helped ensure the service remained responsive to people’s needs.

The provider’s structured and proactive governance framework created an organisation where staff felt empowered and valued which lead to exceptional staff retention and performance, and delivery of safe, high-quality and personalised care to people.