Hunters Lodge 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 service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment 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 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service 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.

The provider worked hard to create a culture that was open and inclusive. Relatives and staff told us people and staff were treated fairly and without discrimination.

The registered manager and all the staff we spoke with, demonstrated a commitment to providing person centred, high-quality care. They placed people using the service at the heart of everything they did. Relatives, staff and partners frequently told us about the warm and welcoming atmosphere at Hunters Lodge and that it had a “family feel”.

The service 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.

Leaders had good oversight of the service and knew people and their relatives very well. The provider had effective systems to support the leadership of the home. There were monthly managers meetings where managers offered support to each other and shared good practice.

Relatives spoke positively about the management team and how the home was run. For example, 1 relative told us, “The home is well run, it is well-maintained, the laundry is good, there is no need to change anything. The staff are absolutely fantastic.”

Staff were positive about the leadership of the home. Staff told us the registered manager was “approachable”, “knowledgeable” and supportive”.

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

There was a clear staffing structure in place. The registered manager had responsibility of the day to day running of the service and told us they were well supported by the provider. Staff were supported to understand their roles and responsibilities through staff meetings and supervision.

The registered manager told us how they had improved the governance of the service. They had increased the frequency and variety of audits and quality assurance processes. There was an overarching action plan for the service, and we saw this was being worked on. Audits and governance processes such as the analysis of accidents and incidents, helped ensure the service had an accurate picture of risk to the safety and quality of the service at any one time.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The provider was working in partnership with commissioners and health and social care professionals. We were told about examples of partnership collaboration to ensure the best outcomes for people. For example, 1 partner told us, “The home were very engaging and willing to learn and make improvements for the residents living there [when I worked with them].”

The service arranged for members of the local community to come into Hunters Lodge such as representatives from the local church. The home celebrated special events and held parties where members of the local community could attend. A range of entertainers visited the home and during our site visit we saw how this positively impacted people.

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

There was a focus on learning, improvement and keeping up-to date with best practice to ensure people's needs could be met. For example, the service sought the expertise of a dementia specialist who provided advice around best practice for individual people and the home.

Safety events on a national and local level were monitored and actions implemented in response to promote safety. For example, new checks about carbon monoxide had been introduced due to a recent incident in another care home.

The management team had an action plan to take forward improvements to the service based on feedback they gained from a variety of sources and the findings from quality audits.

The registered manager was clear on the continuous improvement they wanted to see in the service. This included more detailed records and enhancing the environment, particularly the dining area. Where we raised areas for improvement during this inspection the registered manager was open to our suggestions and took prompt action.