Merrington Grange

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 inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

At our last assessment the provider was in breach of legal regulation in relation to the governance and oversight of the service. At this assessment we found enough improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach

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. The management team had created a culture where a person centred approach was at the forefront of everything at the home. This was commented on by staff and evidenced in the running of the home.

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.

Staff told us they felt fairly treated at work and found the registered manager and deputy to be approachable and supportive. There was evidence of regular staff supervisions and team meetings which showed lessons learnt were being addressed and openly discussed.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour, which is a legal requirement for health and social care providers to be open and transparent when things go wrong.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Each person had a key worker who would support in ascertaining people’s wishes and views. There was evidence to show people were having a say about decoration of their rooms and activities they took part in. Relatives told us they felt communication between them and the service was good, and they felt comfortable raising concerns.

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 positive culture within the staff team. Staff told us they felt comfortable approaching management with concerns and they felt there was a strong team ethic.

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.

At the last inspection we found the governance of the service was not effective but at this inspection we found the provider had made improvements. There was a comprehensive system of auditing. We saw audits were completed and actions were being taken to rectify issues identified. There was a plan in place to support with refurbishment of the building.

There were regular team meetings where plans were shared along with lessons learnt.

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. There was evidence of good partnership work with local GPs and relatives told us the provider worked with them and social workers when considering the needs of the person.

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. The provider actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. There was a consistent approach in the support provided, which helped achieve positive outcomes for people. There were processes in place to ensure learning was taken from accidents, incidents and examples of good practice.