Rutland House 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

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

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 provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Managers encouraged a culture at the service where staff were supported to deliver high quality care and support to people. A staff member told us, “All the time, the manager is talking to us and supporting us to make sure we are doing our jobs and she is available all the time to talk to. She communicates very well with us. She is a good manager.” Another staff member said, “When we do something good they tell us ‘‘well done’’. If we make a mistake, they show us how we can do this better next time.” The nominated individual told us, “We do expect staff to be accountable for their actions. We give staff the training and support they need and we expect them to work to a high standard. We are not afraid to take action if we are not happy with performance. We reinforce to staff they are to deal with people safely and with dignity.” A healthcare professional said, “I have observed that the staff team appear to be currently providing effective high quality and safe individualised care for residents with significant behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and at times complex emotional needs.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Managers were highly regarded by people, relatives and the staff team. People spoke positively about management and leadership of the service. One person told us, “I think it is brilliant, the manager is in and out all the time.” Another person said, “It is very good, nothing is too much trouble.” A relative told us, “Brilliant. I never have to worry about anything.”

Staff were well supported by managers. Managers demonstrated good understanding of people’s needs and how these should be met. A staff member told us, “Every time when we work with them, they are always advising us and supporting us to look after people. They are guiding us.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People were comfortable speaking up if they had any concerns and told us they would talk to the staff team without hesitation. People were provided with information about how they could report concerns and how these would be dealt with by the provider.

Staff told us managers were approachable and they could raise concerns with them, if they needed to, at any time. Managers used supervision meetings to discuss any individual concerns staff had and staff were encouraged to speak freely and without fear of consequences.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us they were treated well by managers and provided with opportunities to progress in their roles if they wanted to. A staff member told us, “I get the same opportunities as the other staff.” Another staff member said, “If I want to move on, I can do but I like what I’m doing here.” Staff were provided with support through relevant training and supervision to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

Managers understood the importance of a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff. The nominated individual told us, “We have an equality and diversity policy and this is shared with staff and we make sure we follow the employment policy for all the staff. All the staff have the same opportunities to progress. I encourage the staff to take on more duties and learn more as part of their role.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had made improvements since our last inspection and was no longer in breach of regulations. Governance systems were now more effective and used to regularly check and audit the quality and safety of care and support provided to people. The quality of information recorded and maintained on people’s records, and records related to the management of the service, had improved. Outcomes from checks and audits were used to make any changes required and support staff to improve their working practices. We noted that some of the records related to the management of the service would benefit from out of date of information being removed to ensure these remained current and up to date. We discussed this with the nominated individual who told us they would take steps to improve these records after our assessment.

Managers understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Partners had positive experiences of working with the provider to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high quality care to people. A healthcare professional told us, “I enjoy a positive working relationship with both managers and care staff. I feel that the best care experience for [people] is always the priority of the home.” Another healthcare professional said, “I maintain a professional and collaborative relationship with the [managers] and all the staff. I've built a strong rapport with the team, and they can contact me directly if they need any advice.” Another healthcare professional told us, “We work very well with managers and staff…they always appreciate our input and always willing to improve the standard for best quality of care. They are transparent all the time.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Managers recognised the importance of learning and continuous improvement to ensure people continually received safe, high quality, care and support. Learning from the last inspection of the service had been used to make improvements at the service.

People, relatives and staff were supported to give their feedback about how the service could be improved. Managers had been responsive to feedback from people, relatives and staff and acted on this to improve the experiences of people using the service. In response to feedback about the quality of the environment, they had replaced the flooring throughout the home and repainted all areas including people’s bedrooms. Some of the soft furnishings and furniture looked dated. We discussed this with the nominated individual. Although these did not pose a risk to people, the nominated individual acknowledged these areas could be improved and told us they had already obtained quotes for new curtains which they hoped to purchase and have fitted shortly after our assessment.