The Poets

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

The service was well-led. The culture of the service supported people to have choice and control over their lives. Systems were in place to assess and check outcomes for people. Records were correct and contemporaneous. Feedback was used to inform change and learning. There was partnership working with key organisations.

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 supported by the manager and senior leaders within the organisation. Staff said the manager promoted a positive approach to person-centred care which placed people at the heart of the service. The vision and values of the organisation were known by staff and promoted a culture that led to better outcomes for people. Staff told us the culture of the service ensured people were treated with respect and enabled them to have choice and independence.

There was a clear organisational strategy. The core values of the organisation were embedded into the culture of the home, through team meetings, staff supervisions and observed practice. People’s views about the way the service operated were sought and taken into consideration.

Staff were very supportive of the manager. Staff said the manager and senior team were visible in the service. Staff told us the change in manager had improved people’s care experiences and how the service operated. The manager was described by staff as nice, fair, and inclusive. A staff member said, “Everything changed with the new manager. We are more communicative, more understanding, more laughing, more teamwork.” Another staff said, “The manager is fair. If we go to him with our grievances, he will resolve them. He tries to treat everyone fairly.”

Policies and procedures were in place to support service improvements. There was a clear organisational structure. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and contributions to ensuring a person-centred service. The manager had oversight and knowledge of the day to day management of the service and undertook quality assurance checks regularly.

Staff knew what processes supported them to raise concerns within their organisation and with partners agencies. Staff were encouraged to share new ideas and be curious about things. They used team meetings and 1-1 supervision meetings to do this. One staff member said, “I can raise concerns, yes. We do have staff meetings. We talk about the rota, residents, how we should take care of them.” Staff followed processes which supported people to speak up about their care experiences.

Policies and procedures provided people, staff, and visitors the opportunity to feedback about their experiences of the service. Processes were in place to speak up anonymously or with additional independent support such as an advocate. Openness of conversation was encouraged, and feedback was used to improve the service.

Staff uniqueness, diversity and ethnicity were embraced within the team. Staff told us their individuality was supported by the organisation and were treated fairly.

The provider welcomed diversity in the workplace. Policies and procedures supported this. Relevant legislation and best practice guidance was implemented to ensure staff were treated in a fair and equitable manner. Recruitment processes supported fair employment opportunities.

Staff and managers had a clear understanding of their responsibility to sustain service delivery and drive improvements. Staff undertook regular training to ensure their skills and knowledge were up to date and relevant. Staff participated in quality assurance checks including audits of clinical and care records, medicines, accidents, incidents, and areas relating to health and safety.

The provider and nominated individual had operational oversight of the service. The manager had applied to CQC to be the registered manager of the service, and their application was being processed. Governance systems and processes were in place for quality monitoring and audit. These were not robust to have identified concerns found during this assessment in relation to risk, safety alerts and call bells. Following our feedback improved governance process were implemented.

People were encouraged to continue community connections such as clubs and local and organisations. People maintained friendship groups and were able to welcome friends to the care home.

The manager and staff worked in partnership with other professionals and community groups. They attended professional forums and were members of network and information groups, for example, The Motor Neuron Disease Association. Information was shared through team meetings. During the assessment, the bistro was staffed by a young person from the ‘SANDS’ project. The service supports this local initiative which provides job opportunities for young people with special needs.

Professional feedback informed us the service worked well with partner agencies. Communication was open and transparent.

The service worked in partnership with other agencies. These included healthcare services as well as local community resources and projects. Records showed that staff had contacted a range of health and social care professionals. This enabled people’s health and wellbeing needs to be assessed so they received the appropriate support to meet their continued needs.

The manager and leadership team promoted a culture of honesty and learning from mistakes. They understood their responsibility to be open in the event of anything going wrong. They shared feedback with people and staff to ensure lessons were learnt.

Process were in place to learn lessons and support change. Improvement plans had actions. Outcomes were monitored and learning was used to drive service improvements and customer experiences. Staff were encouraged to share their ideas for improvement and innovation.