Boulevard House

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

Effective systems were now in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, however more work was needed to ensure those systems were embedded throughout the service. People and staff were positive about the overall culture and leadership within the service.

This service scored 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Following our last inspection, the registered manager was open and transparent about the homes current position and said, “It’s [the service] not where I want it to be yet, but we have made massive improvements already. I want to ensure staff and people are included in decisions and planning all aspect of their care so that takes time.” Staff told us they had seen improvements around the support and culture within the home and told us this was discussed in team meetings on a regular basis. A member of staff said, “I’m 100% happy working there.”

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 registered 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 registered manager had a comprehensive action plan which included development and improvements of the homes culture, vision and direction and we saw evidence this was regularly reviewed. Although improvements had been seen more time was need to ensure the direction and culture was fully embedded throughout the service.

All staff we spoke with gave positive feedback about the registered manager and used word such as ‘supportive’ and ‘approachable’ to describe the relationship. The registered manager told us they operated an open-door policy for staff and people living at the home to ensure they felt supported at all times. The registered manager said, “Only by having open communication can we identify issues or concerns early. When staff know they can give feedback freely it supports openness and inclusivity but also promotes empowerment and loyalty when staff can relay concerns without judgement.”

Since our last inspection the registered manager ensured there was appropriate and consistent management cover for the home. They produced updates and quality management information throughout the week which enabled the provider to have oversight of the service. We saw evidence that the provider engaged with the registered manager and was responsive to requests made by them.

Staff knew how and where to raise concerns. They told us they felt comfortable to raise concerns and were confident that action would be taken to address the concerns. One member of staff told us, “Openness is the thing here.” Another member of staff said, “[It’s] much more open culture now. Staff will come [to us] even if its little things, [I’m] confident they’ll raise big things too.”

The provider had processes in place to enable staff to speak out if they had any concerns, including a whistleblowing policy. Regular meetings were held where staff were enabled to discuss their views and opinions.

Staff told us management supported reasonable adjustment where possible to accommodate things like appointments and childcare. One staff member said, “[Registered manager] is very supportive, because we are supported to be flexible and can cover each other shifts when needed we don’t need agency staff, this helps keep people safe as staff know them and their needs.”

The provider followed safe recruitment practices, which included appropriate checks to ensure suitability. There were policies in place to support staff with their health and wellbeing which included flexible working. We saw evidence of improvements since our last inspection and staff now received consistent support and opportunities to raise concerns or give feedback such as regular supervisions and team meetings.

The registered manager showed us the improvements they had made following our last inspection to enable more effective oversight of the service. They told us more work was needed and this improvement process would be on-going. They were working closely with the provider’s new audit and documentation manager to ensure sustainability.

Regular audits were carried out and action plans put in place to address any shortfalls. Areas that we were observed as needing maintenance or updating had been identified in audits and corresponding requests to the provider had been made accordingly.

People and their relatives were positive about the support they received to access health and social care services. One person spoke enthusiastically about how the registered manager had supported them to work with health professionals to get a correct diagnosis for a condition. The person said, “They listened to me and I understand more now.” Another person spoke with us about how they were supported to maintain employment at a local café.

The registered manager and staff told us how they engaged with a range of health and social care professionals to support people’s health and welfare, including local hospitals, GP’s and service commissioners. They also spoke passionately about the ways in which they supported people to take an active part of their local community. For example, using local community facilities and working with local businesses to provide employment opportunities for people.

Partners were positive about how the registered manager and staff worked with them to ensure good outcomes for people.

Systems and processes were effective in identifying when people needed or wanted support from external partners. Care records were updated to show the involvement of partners and the impact on people’s well-being.

Staff told us they felt involved in helping to develop and improve the service and their views and ideas were listened to. One staff member described how people, staff and the registered manager worked together to learn and make improvements. Other staff described how learning from events and incidents in the home were discussed to minimise the risk of them happening again. They also described how individual supervision sessions helped them to learn and develop their skills. The registered manager recognised the importance of continuous learning and improvement. She spoke about how her own learning and development journey had impacted positively on the service and improved outcomes for people.

Systems were in place to maintain a continuous learning and development culture within the service. Regular meetings with people and staff were held to ensure everyone’s views and ideas were considered. There were also opportunities for relatives to provide feedback; one relative told us how the registered manager, “Always listens.”