Elm Park 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 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. Clear processes were in place to ensure effective communication and information sharing with teams of staff. There were opportunities for members of staff to provide feedback and suggest new ideas about care and support. A member of staff told us, “Full support and guidance is given at all times. I am very happy to work at Elm Park. Suggestions can be made and will always be listened to [by the management team].” A local health and care professional said, “I thoroughly enjoy my visits and the staff make me feel welcome and always discuss with me if there are any concerns. I truly feel the care home is run amazingly. Members of staff are well trained and happy. The registered manager is extremely organised, professional and caring.”

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. We observed good leadership from members of the management team throughout the inspection of the service. The registered manager had identified a series of champions for key aspects of care and support including moving and handling, diabetes, nutrition and infection prevention and control. A local health and care professional who worked closely with the care home told us, “The service is well led. The registered manager is able to discuss people in detail and demonstrates a good personal understanding of each individual, their needs, and their circumstances.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider had an employee handbook in place with all the policies and processes in place. Members of staff received regular supervision meetings and had access to members of the management team to share any concerns they had. A member of staff told us, “Staff are treated with respect. We are listened to and encouraged to express our views. Our opinions are valued.”

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. The provider embraced diversity in their workforce and there was a mixture of different cultures. Members of staff worked well together to provide good quality, person-centred care for people who lived in Elm Park Care Home.

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. There were comprehensive governance systems in place which provided the registered manager with oversight of the quality of care and support provided in the service. There were regular walkaround checks of the care environment along with audits and reviews of medicines management, infection prevent and control and moving and handling processes. The registered manager received good support from the provider and there were regular quality assurance reviews of accidents, incidents, safeguarding and wound care. The governance processes were viewed as supportive and as a way to continuously improve the service.

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. Feedback from local health and care professionals was positive and demonstrated a proactive approach to developing positive working relationships. One professional told us, “I work closely with this home and have always found there to be strong partnership working. I consider I have good professional relationships with the management team and staff within the service.” Another professional said, “I have worked with this home for approximately 10 years and throughout that time I have found staff to be accommodating, professional, and supportive. They work positively with partner agencies, families, and, most importantly, the individuals they support. Overall, I have had a positive experience of the service and the care it provides.”

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. Members of staff confirmed they were encouraged to participate in training and learning to develop their skills. On the day of our site visit to the service, a training session was being delivered about the use of shower trolleys. This had been sourced due to learning identified from an incident at a different service. Members of staff accessing the training session were moving and handling champions who were trained to disseminate the training to other members of staff.