Archived: Holmwood Care Centre

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 we assessed a total of 7 quality statements from this key question, the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was well managed and well-led. Leaders were working hard to improve the culture within the service to promote 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.

Staff felt positive about the upcoming changing with the new incoming provider, for example, that more training was being booked. Staff felt they worked well together as a team and supported each other to meet people’s needs. However, it was clear staff were concerned about the lack of quality time they were able to spend with people, as they had to be task focused in their approach.

Staff felt supported by the manager and deputy manager.

The incoming provider had clear values and were aware of the direction they wanted to take the service. A provider representative told us that following audit reviews additional plans were in place to bring positive changes to clinical oversight and record keeping.

People and relatives were positive about the leaders of the service. While people told us the manager was not very visible around the home they felt they were capable and inclusive.

The provider had identified that further support was needed in the home to raise the standard of the care provision. A provider representative told us this would consistence of support from a team who would support the management team to action the identified shortfalls and drive improvements at the service.

Staff we spoke to told us they were able to speak up freely and were provided with various avenues to do this. Clear information and guidance around processes and next steps were made available to all staff. All staff we spoke with were aware of the providers whistle blowing policy.

The provider took action to continually review and improve the culture of the organisation in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion.

The manager carried out ‘walkaround checks’, which looked at aspects of the environment, staffing and how people presented that day. The provider also had an audit system in place which looked at a range of areas, including clinical oversight, record keeping and mealtime experiences. Where shortfalls were identified action plans were produced. These action plans provided dates and names for those accountable to address these in a timely manner. We could see the provider followed up on their identified shortfalls to ensure these had been addressed and resolved. Where actions had not been resolved within the set timescale the provider had implemented a ‘back on track’ programme. The quality and compliance manager told us they had officially started work on 06 January 2025 for the new in coming provider, but had already visited prior to this to get to know staff and people living at the service. We could see there were plans in place to support the management team in taking actions to address the identified shortfalls.

Statutory notifications were submitted when required and safeguarding alerts raised to the local authority where necessary. The provider had taken action to respond to concerns identified by partner agencies. We found the leadership team open and honest about the challenges they had faced, and they demonstrated a commitment to provide a quality service for people who were using their service.

The provider worked in an open and transparent way. We found they collaborated well with external agencies to continually drive improvement and provide people with joined-up care.

Staff and management engaged with people, communities and other agencies to share learning with each other to drive continuous improvements to the service provision.

The provider worked in an open and transparent way. Where incidents or concerns had been raised, investigations into these and lessons learnt where shared with the staff team to improve care going forward. For example, additional checks were put in place at night to ensure empty communal rooms remained safe. The management team also advised that a new electronic care system would be implemented when the new incoming provider was in place. This system had been rolled out in some of this providers other homes, so this learning and development could be shared with staff at Holmwood Care Centre. The management team felt this electronic system would benefit the care provision by promoting more accurate and real time records of care provision.

The systems the new provider was bringing into the service showed their vision and values. They were aware they had more work to do to ensure all processes were communicated clearly and embedded to support learning and innovation. Time was being taken to ensure all staff were working towards delivering a high quality and consistent service to people.