Drovers Call

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

There had been a lot of change at the service. Improvements had been made in all areas of concerns raised at the previous inspection and progress continued to ensure these were sustained. The staff and registered manager had worked hard along with the provider to change the culture and practice. Staff now had confidence in the management team and felt they were making positive changes to improve the service. People, their relatives and staff now felt involved and included in those changes and understood why they were needed. They spoke very highly of the new registered manager and the new approaches in place. Professionals in health and social care all gave positive feedback about the improvements in the service environment, care practice, records, atmosphere and outcomes for people. The provider now understood their accountability and responsibilities for the service and worked alongside the registered manager and senior team in partnership with the local authority to implement the changes. The workforce reflected the ethnicity of the people being supported and staff felt they received a fair pay for the role and the area.

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 told us they now felt involved in the way the service was making improvements and moving forward. Staff had their own personal values, however, were not aware of the company’s formal values and vision. One staff member told us, “Vision is not shared to my knowledge, we all had a quick chat regarding what the full term plans were and we need to come out of the inadequate and move up to good or hopefully excellent.” Another staff member said, “The main values are the care and making sure [people] are happy, settled and their needs are met. To make sure the staff have the necessary training.”

The service vision and values were documented in their statement of purpose and the registered manager, senior staff and provider were clear about the direction of the service. This would benefit from further work to help the whole staff team share the same vision and understand the expected values and standards of the service.

The staff team were happy with the new registered manager and the change in culture of the service. They felt supported and included. Some staff told us how the new registered manager had supported them through personal crisis or when they felt overwhelmed with the changes. One staff member said, “I would say all the improvements have been since the new [registered] manager. I was supported before, but I have much more support since they came.” Another staff member said, “I have seen [the provider] coming through a lot, they are very nice and very approachable. I would raise a concern with them but mainly I would go to the [registered] manager.”

The registered manager understood the need to give the right level of support to staff. They led by example and showed compassion towards staff who were struggling. They used supervision, informal 1:1 conversation and meetings to offer guidance and listen to what staff had to say. They observed practice and identified pressures for staff and how these could be better managed. They share information and was open about improvements and concerns.

Staff told us they were now happy to speak up, make suggestions or raise concerns. They felt heard and valued. A staff member told us, “I could speak up, [registered manager] is always there and always happy to discuss anything. They are open to new ideas and look at the rights and wrongs. They are very straight forward with it.”

Staff were asked their views through meetings, supervisions and informal conversations and surveys. Open discussion was promoted.

Staff told us the diversity of the staff reflected the diversity of the people living at the service and the local community. However, they understood new staff or people might arrive from other cultures or backgrounds or with differing views and faiths or physical needs. They were happy to learn about these when needed and support people in whatever way they could. A staff member told us, “I would say pay and how we are treated is fair. Religious wise, I believe that is down on our activities. Few people still follow their religious beliefs due to deterioration [of cognitive ability].” Another member of staff told us about colleagues with differing religions, cultures or gender identities and how they learnt from each other to better understand. A staff member said, “Staff come in to work with you and you respect them as a person and their choices just like we would with any [people living at the service].”

The provider had policies and processes in place to protect and promote the rights of the whole staff team and valued a diverse workforce. They aimed to continually improve working conditions for their employees and discrimination or inequality was not tolerated.

Staff understood their responsibilities and the requirements of their role. They were clear about processes and who to speak to with a concern. They continually looked to improve the quality of care and were keen that recent improvements were maintained and built on. A staff member said, “A big thing for me is that from the previous [registered] manager to this new one is that their door is genuinely always open unless they are in a meeting. They are quite welcoming and will try the best they can.” Another staff member told us, “I am happy with the way the company is moving forward and they now acknowledge us more and give us praise. Previously there was nothing and I think that was lacking but now we are hoping this [registered] manager stays long enough to get a good bond. We have been getting more supervision now, I have just had one the other day and was told to keep up the good work.”

There were effective systems, policies and processes in place to identify any area for development. The provider, registered manager and staff team had worked hard to implement a service improvement plan, which they had openly shared with external partner agencies, staff and people’s relatives. They understood current best practice and were passionate about achieving a high standard of care for people and a safe and encouraging environment for the staff team. They were aware of areas that still required further development and had planned for these with target dates and prepared resources. The provider needed to ensure all improvements were now fully completed and sustained moving forward.

People knew there was a new manager in post and said things seemed ’better’ but most people could not comment on what ’better’ meant to them. One person told us, “I think the [registered manager] is doing quite a good job, they talk to me and I can talk to them.” People’s relatives felt they now worked better with the registered manager and staff team since the improvements had begun. One relative said, “I have spoken to the new [registered] manager. They are very nice. The owner is also very nice. We’ve just had an introduction meeting with the new manager. I’m happy to speak to them anytime. We have no concerns. I think it’s a lovely place.” Another relative told us, “I have no concerns about how the home is managed. They are extremely good and respond if I raise an issue. I think the care home are going through changes still. They’re involving families a bit more. They’re trying to make all of the care homes, in their group, run the same way. They look like they’re making the steps to improve but I think that they still have a way to go though.”

Staff told us they worked with health professionals and social workers to ensure people’s needs were met. One staff member said, “Any GP or District Nurse that comes in, our nurse will go with them and then they relay [information] onto ourselves and the managers by updating the electronic hand devices, updating the care plan and in the handover to whoever is on shift.”

Professionals we spoke with were happy with the changes and recent improvements in process and quality of care provided to people. They told us administration and record keeping had also improved. One professional said, “I have seen a massive improvement. When I first went in they were [nervous] as we were aware CQC had been in and there was no management structure. We spoke about how we could help medications, so now if it is something acute, they still go through the appropriate channels such as GP, CAS or 999 but what they do for non-urgent things where they need a review, they add them to a review list and I do this [weekly].” Another professional said, “The home has taken on a new lease of life, the staff appear happier, the home feels happier and the decor has improved. I look forward to seeing the next phase they are working on i.e. a sensory room, garden room, nursery etc for the people to use. I can honestly say [people] appear more relaxed and responsive. They are not just "slumped" in a chair, they now are involved in activities or events that are organised by the home and appear to wonder about more instead of being taken back to their chair. If they are unsteady on their feet, there is usually somebody walking with them without restriction to ensure the safety of the resident. Overall, it is vast improvement.”

The registered manager and staff team worked closely with partner agencies to share information, learn and gain advice for specialist support. They held regular meetings with health professionals for reviews and ensured transition from other services were managed smoothly and safely.

Staff enjoyed the training they were given and were keen to learn more. They applied their learning to their practice and supported colleagues who were still waiting to attend a course. One staff member said, “We had Studio 3 training (training designed to support people in distress while reducing restrictive practice) and had the dementia bus. Some of our management team have also done ‘train the trainer’ courses for Studio 3, so we can feedback to them and rely on them for advice. They do offer feedback as well so if an incident has happened we make sure it has been documented with a lot of detail. That way, the managers who give us feedback can read through it and we can look at what went wrong and what we can improve, how we can reduce it and what has been happening. It takes about 15-20 minutes.”

The provider and registered manager promoted continual learning and reflective practice. They provided a variety of training, some online, some face to face and other more creative ways of learning such as the ‘Dementia bus’. This enabled staff to feel, hear and see what it might be like for a person living with dementia. Staff told us this had a big impact on them and they learned things they had not previously realised or fully understood. This promoted more empathy, patience, compassion and enabled staff to better identify risks. Staff received training not only relevant to their own roles but relevant to the needs of people living in the home to ensure all staff had a good awareness. This meant people could be confident about getting support form whoever they chose to confide in and felt most comfortable with. The registered manager was open to suggestions from people, relatives, staff and external professionals and considered how this would benefit the quality of care and outcomes for people. They kept themselves up to date with current best practice and shared their experience and knowledge with the staff team.