House of St Martin

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

People lived in a home which was well led and committed to ongoing improvements.

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.

The registered manager, and other members of the management team, told us they had worked hard since the last inspection to transform the culture of the home. They told us they wanted the House of St Martin to be a positive and supportive environment for people to live and work in. One member of the management team said, “I'm sure you will see the massive improvement at the home. It has been a real change of culture and this has really benefited all of our clients. People are happier, doing much more and are supported by a consistent team of our own staff. I'm delighted we now have people who feel this is truly their home. It is fundamental that people feel that way.” At our site visits we found the culture was honest, open and inclusive. Staff spoken with were non-judgemental and treated everyone as a valued part of the community. One member of staff said, “Clients here are amazing to work with. We give everyone time, we’re like a family.” New staff said they had been welcomed to the team. One member of staff commented, “Right from the interview I had a good feeling. When I started, I couldn’t have felt more welcomed or supported.”

The Langley Trust is a Christian charity which believes everyone deserves a second chance. It supports people from any religion, or none, to transform their lives. Senior staff led by example to promote a positive culture which was compassionate, respectful and caring.

Staff spoke positively about the leadership of the home. Staff felt extremely well supported. One member of the management team said, “There is a collaborative approach here. We need to listen and understand and always be willing to listen to people.” One member of staff said, “Everyone here cares. It’s genuine care and that attitude comes from the top.”

The provider told us that people were encouraged to take part in regular meetings. This helped to make sure people were fully involved and had opportunities to make suggestions about the running of the home. The home had a client representative who was able to seek people’s views and relay them to management to be dealt with. The client representative attended staff meetings to make sure that people’s views were always represented when issues were discussed.

Staff told us managers were very approachable, and they felt able to raise concerns. One member of staff said, “I would be confident to approach any of our managers. I would certainly be listened to.” A new member of staff said they had been informed about the whistle blowing policy when they began working at the home. This meant they knew how to raise concerns outside the home if they needed to. The staff member told us, “I can’t imagine it would ever get to that (whistleblowing.) Total confidence that anything you raised would be dealt with.”

The provider had policies and procedures to enable people and staff to make complaints or raise concerns.

Staff felt valued and respected. Comments included, “You really feel part of a team,” “Best thing is the team, really supportive” and “There’s two teams. Everyone works together, there’s no us and them.”

The provider had policies and procedures to make sure staff were fairly recruited and treated. There was an annual staff survey, where staff could share their views. Staff were offered the opportunity to attend a 14 week course to explore Christianity, if they wished to, as faith was central to the ethos of the provider. There was also a staff conference which held an awards ceremony to celebrate staff achievements.

Staff felt there had been great improvements at the home. These included changes to the management team, environmental enhancements and development of a more permanent staff team. One member of the management team said, “We have been striving towards improvement. We have worked very closely with people and the team. There have been so many changes and so many things have improved.” Staff told us they were proud to work at the home. One member of staff said, “The whole feeling of the place has changed. It’s a great place to work.” Another member of staff commented, “The general atmosphere is better and that makes it so much nicer for people to live here.”

At the last inspection we found quality monitoring had not been effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls. At this assessment we found improvements had been made. There were systems to effectively monitor standards of care and ensure ongoing improvements to the support people received. Monitoring arrangements had been embedded into the culture of the home to make sure any improvements were sustainable.

Staff worked with other professionals to make sure people could safely access community facilities to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. People had been part of hosting community activities at the home such as fetes, barbeques and a day of prayer.

The provider told us they had strong relationships with external colleagues which included regular multi-disciplinary meetings.

One professional wrote to us to say, “It is a pleasure to work alongside the team and the clients at House of St Martin and the changes that have been implemented over the last year or so is amazing.”

An activity worker was employed to help people to pursue their interests and try new hobbies. Pictures around the home showed people had accessed a huge amount of different social opportunities.

Since the last inspection, the provider had taken action to address shortfalls highlighted and make improvements. Staff told us they felt the culture of the home had become more open and people were benefitting from a more stable staff team. One member of staff said, “All the changes have been for the better.” Another staff member commented, “The whole feeling of the place has changed.” The management team told us they had reviewed how people are admitted to the home. This gave them more control over who moved in and enabled them to make sure people were more compatible and their needs could be met.

The provider used audits and quality monitoring tools to learn and improve the service offered. There were reflective practice sessions and debriefs to enable staff to be involved in learning lessons and making improvements. There were regular meetings for staff and people who lived and worked at the home. This enabled suggestions to be made and discussed.