Field House Residential Care Home for the Elderly

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 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. People, their relatives and staff were all positive about improvements made at the home since the last inspection. One staff member told us, “Since [registered manager] came, things did improve. Structure improved. Cleanliness improved. Morale improved.” The registered manager promoted a positive culture, where person centred care was the priority. People, their relatives and staff were empowered to be involved in changes and improvements to the service. A relative told us, “I am really happy, I would not want [family member] anywhere else.”

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 registered manager was passionate about providing safe and effective person-centred care and had successfully embedded a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Relatives described the registered manager as running “a tight ship” and as being “very approachable.” Leaders were also well respected by external professionals. One professional told us, “[Registered manager] demonstrates a strong understanding of the principles of safe and well-led care and is strongly committed to ensuring residents receive the highest possible standard of care.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The registered manager had recently conducted a comprehensive review of the service’s “speaking up” arrangements. As a result, reporting procedures were strengthened, staff training was increased and open discussions with the staff team took place. These actions had been effective in fostering a culture whereby staff felt confident to raise any concerns. A staff member told us, “I have never needed to raise a concern, but if I did, I have confidence I would be listened to, and it would be acted upon.”

The provider had ensured formal and informal methods of providing feedback were available for people, staff, family members and health care professionals to share their experiences and opinions in a way that was safe and without the fear of negative consequences. These included formal surveys, care plan reviews, staff meetings and learning from incidents. A relative told us, “I would have no problems raising concerns.” Another relative said, ““I would go and see the manager. She would take what I say seriously. She would take it to the next level if need be. I have not had any serious complaints.”

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. There was a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and experience within the workforce. The service had an open, inclusive recruitment procedure. Appropriate policies and procedures were in place to support workforce equality and diversity. Staff reported being treated fairly and equally.

At the last inspection, the governance system was not effective in identifying areas for improvement and actions were not always completed in a timely manner. At this inspection, 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. Governance systems were robust and effective and ensured leaders had strong oversight of the service. Quality assurance arrangements were well established, with audits used to maintain high standards and identify areas for improvement. The service’s proactive approach to safety was demonstrated through timely safeguarding responses, a commitment to learning from complaints and incidents and effective communication with system partners.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Staff worked in effective partnership with a wide range of external professionals. Relatives valued the strong links with external agencies, noting staff acted promptly on medical concerns and kept families updated. One professional told us that communication from the home was “clear, timely and well organised” ensuring people received support when they required it.

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 described having been “on a journey of learning” since the last inspection, and this was reflected in the positive culture within the service. An open and transparent approach meant that lessons learned were viewed constructively, and the manager was responsive to feedback from all sources. The management team actively encouraged reflection and supported ongoing professional development among staff.