Stoneyford 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

While improvements had been made in all areas of culture, governance and management of the home since our last inspection, further time was needed to ensure these practices were fully embedded into the service and identified risk appropriately so actions could be taken to keep people safe. A range of quality monitoring tools were used to ensure the oversight of the service. However, these were primarily completed by the new manager and compliance manager which meant these could be missed in their absence. There was a plan in place to upskill further staff and this was ongoing. Staff and people felt the home was well-led. Everyone we spoke with acknowledged the improvements made and felt the management team were open and approachable.

This service scored 61 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff and leaders demonstrated a positive, compassionate, listening culture that promoted trust and understanding between them and people using the service and was focused on learning and improvement. The new manager ensured all staff were fully trained and had an action plan to upskill and promote staff from within to ensure knowledge retention which kept the people within the home safe. The provider had a comprehensive action plan which included development and improvements of the home’s culture, vision and direction and we saw evidence this was regularly reviewed.

Management had a clear strategy of improvements and developments which they communicated with staff. The new manager acknowledged it would take time for people and staff to embrace the shared direction of the home but said, “This can only be achieved through open communication and showing we do what we say we are going to do and that takes time to embed.” Staff supported what the manager told us. One staff member said, “Things have improved but we still have work to do but I have confidence now we can get there.” Another said, “We are a team now that’s the biggest difference.”

People and staff told us the management team were visible and active within the home. Staff said improvements had been made and they were supported by managers consistently which now included management cover at weekends and out of hours support. A staff member said, “Before we were lucky if a manager was here 9-5 but now there is always someone about and it’s reassuring.” The new manager confirmed the service no longer required the support of agency staff since our last inspection and had ensured a safe workforce was in place through effective and inclusive recruitment and succession planning.

The provider had consistent management cover for the home and received updates and quality management information throughout the week which ensured the management team received appropriate support. We saw the provider regularly communicated with staff in the home in an open and professional way and acknowledged improvements and achievements within the service. The new manager had been recruited safely and undertaken all relevant recruitment checks. The manager had completed the training within the home and completed additional qualifications such as train the trainer which enabled them to upskill staff.

The provider had policies in place to support staff and people to raise complaints and guidance on the help and support available to raise a whistleblowing concern. We saw evidence of this being discussed in meetings and managers acting on feedback by staff. For example, we saw evidence the manager had attended the home during the night to support staff following feedback raised.

Staff told us they were given time, space and the opportunity to speak up and now felt confident to do so. At our last inspection people and staff felt unheard and feared repercussions. Staff told us this culture had changed. One staff member said, “The manager is really good, they have time for us. I have raised a couple of things with them, and action has been taken straight away.”

The new manager acknowledged that the culture of the home was still developing, and time was needed to ensure a safe and trusting environment for the staff. However, the management team had a clear plan to monitor and evaluate its progress which ensured staff feedback was sought at regular intervals. We saw small steps being taken to visually show inclusion and diversity, such as noticeboards introducing staff.

Staff told us there had been improvements in workforce equality, diversity and inclusion, they said they now were treated equally, and the culture of the home was improving. Staff told us management supported reasonable adjustments where possible to accommodate things like appointments and childcare. One person said, “Because the manager is supportive and we can request help, people don’t call in sick as often which takes the pressure off of the rest of the team.”

The provider and management team had a range of audits and quality monitoring tools which they used to oversee the performance of the service. These included medicine processes, accidents, incidents, and infection control. Currently management were responsible for completing all these actions however there was a plan in place to upskill staff to be able to support and complete these audits and quality checks which would eventually free up the management team to have oversight of running the home. Further time was needed to evaluate and ensure the audits were robust, fit for purpose and identified risks appropriately. The provider had emergency contingency plans in place should there be a sudden event that could affect the smooth running of the service. We saw these had been used effectively recently to keep people safe upon the loss of hot water in a portion of the home. Improvements had been made in the storage, access and confidentiality of documents and ongoing training and upskilling of staff was being undertaken to ensure staff were confident to access the required information in an emergency.

Staff gave positive feedback about the recent changes to the home and the management structure. Staff described the new manager and the compliance manager as “caring” and “approachable”. Staff stated they were clear on their roles and responsibilities. However, when we asked staff how they audit and assess their effectiveness of their roles all staff commented this was completed by management and they would not know how to do this in their absence.

Staff and management were open and transparent, and they collaborated with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies to submit information such as safeguarding concerns in a timely manner which ensured people remained safe.

The management team had an action plan in place which included developing links with local services and the community. The new manager said, “We are keen to develop links with community such as the local school, but our priority has been on improving the service and ensuring everyone receives safe and consistent care.”

The local authority and visiting professionals we spoke with were positive about the changes in the home. One professional said, “I am confident the home will continue to improve and that further partnerships that deliver joined up care will be developed.”

People told us they would like to participate in more outdoor and community activities and said they had fed this back to the management team. The home had recently employed an activities co-ordinator. People told us she was friendly and had sought their feedback so they were hopeful more person-centred activities would be delivered.

Staff told us while improvements had been made there were still areas for development, such as senior care staff support. One staff member said, “The seniors are all new, so I have to go to management still if I need support.”

The management team had made improvements since our last inspection and had a comprehensive action plan to ensure improvements were sustained and developed further. There were processes to ensure that learning happens when things go wrong, and we saw evidence of learning outcomes being shared with staff during meetings. For example, call bell times had been reduced and learning around this shared with staff so there was clear guidance on how to keep people safe. However, the staff team, including seniors were comprised of staff mainly in their probation period. This meant that training and upskilling was continuing, and further time would be needed to evaluate the lasting impact of the services learning, improvement and innovation strategy. The minor issues we saw on the assessment surrounding manual handling techniques and maintenance were acted upon immediately.