Chesterton Lodge

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 service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 71 (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 human rights, diversity and inclusion. However, improvements were needed to ensure this culture promoted social and community engagement. Staff told us the ethos and culture of the provider focused on the needs of the people using the service. One staff member told us, "The aims of the service focus on ensuring people who can’t look after themselves are cared for." Another staff member said, "We aim to make the service feel like a home from home. I think we do keep people safe; I think we give a good service." However, whilst staff told us they believed people received safe care and treatment, improvements were needed around social activities and community engagement. The provider shared their statement of purpose which aimed to be the best provider of housing and care services to older people. The provider told us they recognised improvements were needed to promote social engagement and shared their plans to increase this in the home.

Leaders were equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience to lead effectively. Staff explained the service had experienced a recent turbulent time over management, due to the registered manager currently being away from the service. However, they told us they felt supported by the temporary manager who was overseeing the service at the time of this assessment. Staff told us they had faith in the covering manager’s ability to lead the service. One staff member said, "The manager has not been here long. They are nice and supportive." Another staff member told us “The staff team are so nice, compassionate and considerate. The manager is really supportive and approachable, they tell you to come and talk to them at any time.” The manager told us they were aware of the concerns raised around activities and daily interaction with people. They shared their plans to recruit additional staff, deliver dementia workshops for the staff team, and increase community involvement and daily activities.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt they could raise concerns openly with the covering manager. One staff member said, "I feel I can raise concerns openly and I feel supported by the manager." The provider shared their 'whistle blowing' policy, this was accessible to the staff team.

The provider valued diversity in the workforce. Staff told us they were treated fairly by the provider. Staff told us there were opportunities for further development and when they experienced personal issues which impacted upon their working ability, the provider was supportive and made allowances. Minutes of team meetings evidenced staff were included to feedback into the service. The provider had an appropriate equality, inclusion and diversity policy.

The provider had clear levels of accountability and thorough governance systems to ensure people’s health needs, and the general environment were regularly audited. They acted on information around risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Staff told us about their duties and responsibilities, they told us how they managed risk and reported concerns to the manager. Managers and staff understood their roles, and were clear about quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements. There were checks and audits in place to monitor quality and safety. Action was taken when audits identified areas for improvement. In response to our feedback, the manager brought in additional quality observations of staff and people’s interaction.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership. They shared information and sought advice when needed. People told us they felt included in the service. One person told us about attending resident meetings. They said, “There are regular meetings. Staff record all our suggestions or comments. It is good.” Staff told us they worked with other professionals, and they worked effectively a team. One staff member said, "We are a pretty good team, everyone pulls in and helps out." Another staff member said, "There is good teamwork here." However, whilst staff told us they attended team meetings, some staff said their concerns over activities and staffing were not acted upon. The provider told us they had plans to increase activities and would share these plans with the staff team. Visiting professionals told us the provider worked effectively in partnership and shared information openly. Records confirmed the provider worked in partnership with other professionals and raised referrals promptly.

The provider focused on learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. Staff told us lessons learnt from incidents and accidents were shared during handovers and team meetings. Lessons learnt from accident, incidents and complaints were reviewed and shared with the staff team. The provider utilised reflective exercises for staff to learn from incidents when thing went wrong to ensure learning was understood. The provider shared future plans with us. These included dementia workshops to upskill the understanding and practices of the staff team when supporting people with dementia, further work around improving end-of-life care and the introduction of dementia friendly audits.