Westley Court 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 required improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager told us they had developed positive relationships with staff and communicated a clear vision to support the delivery of effective care. Some people and relatives we spoke with told us staff and leaders listened to them and promoted a positive and caring culture. Most staff described management as supportive, and 1 staff member told us their concerns were listened to and acted upon. This helped create an open and inclusive culture where people and staff felt valued and able to contribute to improvements within the service.

The provider demonstrated capable, compassionate and inclusive leadership. The registered manager showed a clear commitment to improving the quality of life of people living at the service and supporting staff to deliver high-quality care. They told us, "I like to think outside the box and find a way to do things," which demonstrated their creativity and determination to overcome barriers to people's care and treatment. The registered manager told us they received regular support from the provider and had access to ongoing training and development opportunities. They had completed a train-the-trainer course, which enabled them to deliver training, assess staff competence and support the development of the workforce. This helped to ensure staff had the skills, knowledge and support needed to meet people's needs effectively.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The provider demonstrated a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and worked to promote a fair and inclusive culture across the workforce. Staff and managers told us they felt supported, and the provider had created opportunities for professional development, including the introduction of a competency-based development programme for senior care staff. The provider supported staff with protected characteristics to participate fully in the workforce and reviewed measures in place to ensure they remained effective and relevant. However, some staff reported that they did not always feel treated equally or supported in ways that met their individual needs. Staff were encouraged to share feedback about the service. Staff generally felt supported and described a positive team culture. One staff member told us, “Everyone has worked hard to get the home to where it needs to be," this demonstrates a commitment from staff to improving outcomes for people using the service.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. At our previous assessment, we identified safety concerns that had not been recognised through the provider's governance and oversight systems. Although quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the safety of care and the environment, these were not consistently effective in identifying and addressing risks, omissions and areas requiring improvement. The provider's systems had not identified the environmental safety concerns found during this assessment, detailed in the safe environments section of this report. In addition, records showed water temperature monitoring undertaken in May 2026 identified several rooms with temperatures outside the acceptable range; however, staff did not document any corrective actions. Some of the same concerns continued into June, indicating the provider had not taken effective action to address known risks and increasing the risk of harm to people.
Policies and audit tools did not always align. For example, the fire safety policy stated fire drills should be undertaken annually, while other documentation referred to monthly and quarterly drills. Following the assessment, we raised this with the provider, who advised they would review the documentation and seek clarification regarding requirements to ensure records are consistent and provide clear expectations going forward. In addition, audits and checks had not identified the service user guide did not contain all the required information and further identified that some staff had not completed mandatory learning disability and autism training.
The provider was responsive to our feedback throughout the assessment and took prompt action to address the immediate safety concerns identified. They provided written assurances detailing the actions taken and planned improvements to strengthen governance arrangements. The provider also demonstrated a commitment to sharing learning from the assessment more widely and outlined plans to implement improvements across the wider organisation to reduce the risk of similar issues arising in other services.
 

The provider understood the importance of working collaboratively with other professionals and organisations to help ensure people received coordinated care and support. Staff worked closely with Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and GPs, who carried out regular weekly and monthly visits to monitor and meet people's healthcare needs. The service had also developed positive partnerships within the local community, maintaining a longstanding relationship with the local hospice and more recently supporting it through fundraising activities. These arrangements helped promote joined-up care and positive outcomes for people.

The provider promoted learning and improvement through staff meetings, which included reflection on complaints raised and consideration of any themes or learning identified. Processes were in place to share lessons learned through daily flash meetings and staff meetings. However, these could be further strengthened to reduce the risk that not all staff may not read flash meeting notes and staff meetings had not been held consistently on a bi-monthly basis. Strengthening these arrangements would provide greater assurance that learning is shared effectively and embedded into practice.
The provider demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and improvement by responding proactively to findings from the assessment. It implemented organisation-wide changes to monitoring systems, documentation and safety checks to enhance oversight and drive quality improvement. The provider also developed and trialled a new electronic maintenance and compliance system, demonstrating an innovative approach to strengthening oversight, improving accountability and supporting the timely identification and resolution of concerns. These actions showed a willingness to learn from previous experiences and invest in sustainable improvements to service quality and safety.