Deangate 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 changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 96 (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. Staff at all levels worked together to provide quality care and support to people living at the home. All staff we spoke with told us their role was to ensure people were, safe, happy and cared for. A staff member told us, “We are a team. It’s a strong team; we work towards the same goal. Everyone from managers to domestic assistants. Everyone is 100% focused on people’s well-being.” Managers at the service welcomed and actively sought feedback from staff, relatives, people and professionals, and used this information to assess the effectiveness of their service. People, relatives and staff felt valued and respected. A person told us, “The manager is very good, anything I want, I see them.” A relative told us, “I had an impression in my mind of what a care home would be like. I said I’d never put my relative in a home, but coming to this service, it’s like a hotel, its so friendly, it’s like a family.”

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. Managers within the service were dedicated to delivering high quality care to people. Managers were present within the service and completed comprehensive checks of care delivery to ensure people within the home were happy and safe. Where areas for improvement were noted, individual feedback was given to staff and support put in place. This was formally recorded and reviewed to ensure the effectiveness of interventions. This supported staff to work within the expectations of the service. People and their relatives had confidence in managers and staff, and without exception told us they felt the service was well-led. A relative told us, “I am really happy (that my relative lives here), and I am really confident with the care they deliver.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Policies and procedures were in place to manage whistle-blowing and complaints. Staff told us without exception that they felt listened to and would not hesitate to raise a concern should they need to do so.

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. Staff were valued and respected within the service. The provider placed a strong emphasis on supporting staff both professionally and personally. All staff without exception told us they felt supported and valued in their roles. Staff who were new to working in care gave examples of how they had been supported to develop and feel confident in their roles. Staff also gave examples of flexibility offered to them to ensure they could maintain a healthy work life balance. A staff member told us, “The manager helped me to change my role so I could have more flexibility around childcare, they have been really good at catering for me, I feel comfortable talking to them.” Records showed that staff had been enrolled on a well-being programme available locally which included a free health check-up. The service had a low staff turnover and an established consistent staff team, some of whom had worked at the service for a number of years.

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. Managers at the service were committed to good governance and had developed a comprehensive programme of oversight activities within the home. This included ongoing scrutiny of care plans, daily notes, risk assessments, medicines management, health and safety, staff development and the experiences of people, their relatives and staff. Audits were extremely detailed and the information from this was used effectively to improve service delivery. For example, an audit found that some daily records were not in line with the providers expectations. This information was used to support the staff member to improve with individualised guidance and support. Initiatives undertaken to improve the service were continually monitored for effectiveness. Regular walkarounds were completed by managers at the service to ensure quality within the home. These included checks of staffing numbers, general cleanliness, the availability and quality of drinks and snacks available, observations of care delivery, monitoring of planned care tasks, for example supporting people to reposition and the availability of daily activities. Regular visits from the providers regional quality assurance team took place and information from this was used to inform best practice within the home. Governance activities within the service meant managers were visible, they led by example and cultivated a culture of transparency, learning and improvement at all levels.

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 service took a lead role in their community, forging strong links with community resources and worked in partnership with stakeholders on initiatives which were of interest to and championed the strengths of people living at the service. For example, the service recognised that people supported within their service were veterans or had family and friend ties to veterans and explored options within their local community to ensure that people were fully involved in events such as Armed Forces Day where they wished to be included. The home established a veteran’s breakfast club which enabled people at the service to integrate and share experiences with veterans in the local area. The service was the first in their area to receive Veteran Friendly Framework Status and has worked in partnership with the Local Authority and Mayoral Office to drive this initiative forward. Stakeholders told us, “[the service] has helped bridge the gap between care services and civic recognition…[the service] and the Mayors Office have created inclusive spaces where veterans feel seen, valued and celebrated.” Records showed that information from professionals was clearly documented within people’s care plans, understood by staff and followed effectively by staff. For example, a visiting professional told us, “The staff follow our advice, for example I visited someone who reported feeling lonely and this was fed back to the team and they have implemented one-to-one activities to support them.” People at the service felt valued and listened to. A person told us, “When people [staff] talk to me, they listen to me, its lovely.”

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 demonstrated that they identified and analysed themes and trends in the home and actively sought out innovative solutions to any problems identified. The service had successfully applied for a grant to pilot a new design of assistive technology within areas of the home, aimed at falls prevention. The installation of these devices was completed in partnership with and with the consent of people in the home. The device had been used effectively to monitor and understand the cause of unwitnessed falls and had enabled targeted interventions for individuals at risk of this. In one example, a person who had previously had multiple unwitnessed falls had their number of falls reduce to 0 following individualised support. Where new approaches to care and health interventions were available, the registered manager proactively sought out training and guidance for staff to ensure care delivery was always based on the most recent best practice guidance. The home had recently worked with professionals within local health services to pilot a scheme to reduce weight loss in care homes. All staff without exception were able to explain in detail about the scheme and were engaged and enthusiastic about the rollout of this.