Elm Lea 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 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.

There was a positive culture at the service, which was created by the registered manager, and reflected by staff. Staff spoke positively about people with kindness and compassion. People and their loved ones told us, “Elm lea have changed that perspective for us [about care homes] for dad and for us as a family,” and “They always go above and beyond,” and “It’s excellent care I cannot fault them.”

The registered manager had implemented a clear direction for the service with a strong focus on improving outcomes for people.Staff told us, “I am proud to be part of the team and believe that staff do everything possible to ensure residents receive compassionate and person-centred support.”

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 service was led by the registered manager, who had a good understanding of people, their needs and their loved ones. Staff told us, “The registered manager, very supportive. I’ve learnt a lot under her guidance.” Relatives told us the registered manager was hands on and went out of their way to provide support, assurance and care to people. A relative told us, “The (registered) manager is there on Christmas day. She's the one who got him to have a shower last week. You don’t always see that.”

The registered manager was involved in forums and groups for managers to keep up to date about best practice. They shared information with other managers to support learning and improvement within care homes in Kent. The registered manager was knowledge about best practice, and legislation including RSRCRC.

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

Staff were aware of how to raise concerns and who they could be raised with. Staff told us, “Yes, absolutely. I would feel comfortable speaking up if I had concerns about safety,” and “I would come forward if I had any concerns.” People and their relatives understood how to raise concerns and told us, “The provider is very approachable.” There was information available around the service to inform people, relatives and staff how they could raise concerns within and externally from the service.

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.

All staff had completed training on equality and diversity. Staff told us there was a great mix of cultures within the service, which worked well. Staff told us they were treated well by the provider and the registered manager. The registered manager was aware of staff skills and ability and supported them appropriately. When necessary, they spoke with staff to ensure understanding when staff struggled to complete training. One staff member told us how the registered manager had supported them with their role, encouraging them to take on more responsibilities and increase their skills and knowledge.

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 registered manager and staff carried out a number of checks and audits to check and improve the quality of the service. Senior staff reviewed all aspects of care delivery. Staff told us, “When I do my spot checks I focus on different points. Sometimes it’s kindness, or dignity. It’s always unannounced.” The registered manager completed audited those reviews to ensure action was taken when necessary. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and looked to improve the quality of the care through people’s feedback, learning from events at other services and keeping up to date with legislation and guidance.

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.

A healthcare professional told us that staff liaised well with external partners including the GP, district nurse and mental health team. Staff told us they had good working relationships with stakeholders and received support when people’s needs changed. A healthcare professional told us, “They do a lot of activities. You don’t see people just sat there just doing nothing.” People were a part of the local community, visiting pubs and shops with staff support.

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.

There were systems in place to learn and improve. Staff told us that when something went wrong, they had a meeting to discuss it and learn lessons. The registered manager formed learning quizzes and created a different display each month to highlight areas of interest. For example, we saw a display informing staff about professional boundaries. The registered manager told us they had previously highlighted communication, DoLS and safeguarding. The registered manager told us they reviewed safety alerts and reports published by CQC about other homes to help learn and improve the service.