The Berrys Carehome

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.

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 provider and staff had a shared direction which was outlined in their statement of purpose. The provider had been open and transparent about the improvements needed since the last assessment. They had now ensured people and staff were involved and engaged in discussions and collective decision making about the developments and future of the service.

Governance meetings were held with the management team. Discussions and actions were recorded. This helped the provider to maintain the shared vision and values of the service and to ensure continued improvement.

The provider and staff had demonstrated how their positive and compassionate culture promoted trust and understanding between them and people using the service. We observed this during our assessment.

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 provider had managers with the necessary skills and knowledge to lead effectively. The shortfalls that we identified at the last assessment had been rectified through openness to learn, effective joint working with professionals and taking and acting on advice about how to improve care and support for people. The provider, managers and staff had upskilled their knowledge and understanding and put systems in place to manage the service effectively and safely.

The registered manager who was supported by the care manager, were compassionate and inclusive of working together with staff as a team. They were visible and available in the service. They were well thought of and known by the people, staff, family members and professionals. A staff member told us, “Overall, I feel proud to be part of a caring and supportive team that is committed to providing safe, person centred care and making a positive difference to the lives of the people we support.”

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

There was a positive culture of speaking up where staff actively raised their views, ideas concerns and were supported, without fear of detriment. The provider was open to feedback and staff felt supported to speak up.

The provider worked in a collaborative way and staff were confident that their voices would be heard. A staff member told us, “Yes, I feel able to raise concerns with the manager. If I have a concern about someone's safety, wellbeing or the way care is being provided, I know that I should speak up.”

Team meetings were held to discuss the work at the service and staff had the opportunity to discuss their views and ideas. Staff received supervision with the registered manager which were clearly recorded to show progress and appreciation of their work.

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.

Staff members’ protected characteristics were considered to ensure their rights under the Equality Act 2010 did not have a negative impact on their wellbeing. Staff felt supported and respected by the provider and valued their input into the improvements made to the service.

Staff had undertaken training in diversity, equality and inclusion to support wider awareness in their role and responsibilities. A staff member said, “All staff I think are treated equally by the managers and everyone feels very much part of the team.”

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 made improvements to the governance and monitoring of the service since our last assessment on 30 July 2025 and was no longer in breach of Regulation 17 Good governance.

The provider had developed and implemented clear systems of accountability and good governance in all areas of the service since the last assessment. They acted with openness and honesty to the concerns we found and worked with partners to make the necessary improvements.

The process for monitoring and auditing health and safety was robust. Effective arrangements had been put in place to monitor the safety of the premises and equipment. Fire evacuation procedures identified clear detailed processes of how staff could safely and effectively evacuate people from the building, during the day and at night, in the event of a fire. People’s personal emergency evacuation plans [PEEP] were comprehensive and contained information about their needs and the risks associated with evacuating the building.

The provider had implemented an electronic care planning system and we saw care plans and risk assessments were detailed, accurate and fully reflected people’s current needs. The care manager had upskilled their knowledge to identify, assess and mitigate risks to people’s safety and welfare through developing systems to monitor the service.

Risk assessments were completed for all areas of risk relating to people and the premises to ensure people were kept safe. These were reviewed and updated regularly. People’s capacity to make choices and decisions was assessed and recorded with their involvement.

People’s dependency levels had been reviewed to ensure there were enough staff to support them. The rota arrangements had been improved to ensure adequate staff were on duty at all times. An on-call rota to cover for emergencies had been implemented and was working well.

Governance processes were effective in monitoring the oversight of the service. The provider had completed the necessary renovations to the environment making it a safer and pleasant place to live. A plan was in place for the continued improvement to the service including the garden and ongoing maintenance of the premises.

Systems to ensure compliance with legislation and the providers internal governance arrangements were in place. A review had taken place of the recording tools used and these provided a way to identify and analyse risks, outcomes and lessons learnt as a result. Quality audits were sufficiently detailed and up to date to provide assurance that risks were being managed and improvements made. This resulted in people receiving a standard of care and support they should expect.

The provider worked closely with the local authority safeguarding and improvement teams to ensure processes were implemented for the safety of people using the service. A professional told us, “We saw whilst completing their recent assessment that they have sustained well the improvements made at that time, and have fully implemented the guidance and advice they received.”

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 provider worked in partnership with key agencies to provide better outcomes for people. They worked together with partners to ensure the safe transition to more appropriate services when The Berrys Carehome was no longer appropriate to meet people’s needs.

Safeguarding concerns were raised and referrals to professionals made in a timely way and advice implemented and recorded to show action taken to protect people’s rights, health and safety.

The provider had developed ongoing relationships with key health and social care professionals such as the GP, psychiatrist, social worker, optician, chiropodist and advocate. A professional comment said, “I have always been welcomed and staff are helpful in providing information when requested and know [name of person] well and their needs and wishes.”

The provider was proactive in looking at opportunities for people to integrate within the wider community. The care manager told us about a person who they had supported to enrol in the local college from September 2026 to learn new skills and meet new people.

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.

Lessons had been learnt from the last assessment. The provider had developed ways in which to keep up to date with current thinking, utilise available resources and continue to recognise ongoing improvements needed to the service.

There was a consistent approach and clear strategy to measuring outcomes and impact on people’s care, treatment and support and the development of the service as whole.

The provider was providing a service in line with CQC’s Right support, right care, right culture guidance. People received person centred care and support, had opportunities of being part of the community, accessing public transport, and trying new experiences. This inclusion helped people to have a good quality of life, with purpose and dignity.