Osborne House

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

We assessed all quality statements within Well Led. The service had quality assurance and monitoring systems however, they were not always consistent in identifying shortfalls at the service. We found gaps in some assessments. Relatives told us the home was well run. Staff said they enjoyed their work and felt supported by management. Feedback from professionals highlighted collaborative working between the service and professionals.

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 transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. They showed us their vision for the service including “We say yes” commitment. Their vision had an emphasis on staff working together as a team, and not as an individual, to support people who live at Osborne House, developing a consistent service across the services they provide.

The management team were on call for staff, regular out of hours and weekend quality of care checks were carried out. The service had communication systems for important information.

Staff told us the management of the service were approachable, and they were well supported. One staff member told us, “Communication, we use handsets when on shift. On there is a handover sheet. Everything is written up from night before. We read and confirm, so we know what has happened previously. Where we view rotas, we can update each other and leave messages to ensure things gets done.”

The service had inclusive leaders who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support. They embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation.

The management team included a registered manager, a trainee manager and deputy manager who were available to staff and visitors. The service was also supported by the provider. The registered manager provided support to the trainee manager. The management team worked to embed the values and aspirations of the provider. The management team confirmed they were working with external agencies to improve people’s care, this included working with the local GP surgery and the local authority safeguarding team.

Meetings for people were held where they were encouraged to share their views where possible. Relatives were kept informed on how their family members were and were included in their care reviews. One relative told us, “The managers are both approachable and will speak to you whenever they can.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The service had feedback systems in place through meetings, questionnaires and a complaints process for people, staff and relatives. Professionals and people’s relatives visited the service regularly. The service displayed posters which provided information on how to report any concerns. Staff had regular supervisions where they could raise concerns. Competency checks were completed with staff where any areas of learning were identified.

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 were supported with their individual needs, for example, staff were supported to work flexibly when required. The service had an equal opportunities policy. Overseas staff we spoke with said they felt included and part of the team. Different cultures were celebrated. The provider had an employee recognition system and thanked staff for their contributions.

The provider did not always have clear systems of governance. Assurance processes, including audits of the service, were in place however these did not always identify where there were gaps in people’s care planning. For example, care plan and quality audits had not identified where there were gaps in risk assessments and where Mental Capacity Assessmenst were not being completed inline with the MCA code of practice. The managers monthly audit for December 2024 was completed during our assessment, some areas such as mental capacity assessments and reminding staff to be present in the communal areas, were added as ongoing actions.

The provider had recently added the regulated activity of ‘personal care’ to their registration. This meant they could provide a home care service to people living in the community. To reflect these changes the provider needed to provide the care quality commission (CQC) with a relevant statement of purpose. The statement of purpose shared with us during the assessment did not clearly reflect all areas of the service provided. For example, the difference in responsibilities the provider has under the new registration.

The service used an outside caterer to provide main meals for people. There was a business continuity plan in place which referred to the disruption of food supplies, it did not provide specific information should meals not arrive and if the meals delivered were incorrect. This was relevant because the service no longer had operating cooking facilities. The audit completed in November 2024 identified meals served to people did not match the menu. This was addressed immediately; however, the service supported some people who had allergies or were on a specific food consistency. We asked what alternatives were on offer for people who did not want what was on the menu. We were told people could have, “Sandwiches or finger foods.” After the assessment the provider informed us of their back up

The CQC rating was on display.

The provider supported staff development. Some staff were completing professional development assessments, this was to support colleagues to become confident and competent in the delivery of care. Staff had opportunities to advance their career within the organisation and the provider offered inhouse mentoring to assist with this.

The management team and provider were part of wider network groups that shared initiatives and ideas to contribute to enhancing people’s dementia care experience.

The service worked with the local authority to trial new advancements in technology. The service listened to professionals, embedding changes to people’s care as requested. One professional working with the service told us “The care is compassionate and intuitive with a person-centred approach and a preference to avoid medications unless absolutely necessary.”

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.

The service acted on advice from health professionals, embedding changes into people’s care as appropriate. The management and staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported.

The provider supported staff development. Some staff were completing professional development assessments, this was to support colleagues to become confident and competent in the delivery of care. Staff had opportunities to advance their career within the organisation and the provider offered inhouse mentoring to assist with this.

Relatives were involved in people’s care, kept updated of any changes and involved in decision making. One relative told us, “Things have continued to improve with the management changes there” The service shared information with relatives which reflected the care people received. One relative told us, “There is a very good Facebook page where they show pictures of Dad (permission given) joining in with activities, otherwise sometimes I wouldn’t believe them.”

Feedback from professionals told us the service acted in a timely way to respond to people’s changing needs. One professional told us, “They respond quickly to any care requests or monitoring that may be needed and are proactive around feeding back relevant information.”