Shire 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 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. 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.

The provider had clear aims and objectives around how they delivered care at the Shire Care Home. The people were to be placed first at all times, care would be of the highest quality, staff would be courteous, polite and empathetic and services should reflect the needs, wishes and preferences of people.

The registered manager told us, “[The values of the service includes] good teamwork, this rubs off on people. We offer choices and ensure people can be as independent as possible and feel like they are still in control of their lives. They should feel like they are at home and not in an institution.”

We saw staff were empathetic and spoke kindly with people throughout our assessment. A relative reflected, “My father is 96 years old and has lived at Shire House for nearly 5 years. He is happy and settled living at Shire House, the service suits him well.”

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.

The registered manager had been employed at the service for over 20 years, some of the staff team had been there for similarly long periods. The nominated individual was a regular presence in the service and spent time with people, staff and leaders ensuring all were having positive experiences of the service.

All the feedback we received about the management team at Shire House was positive. It included a staff member telling us, “Shire House management team has been supportive of my progression as a senior carer especially considering my background from [overseas].” A second staff member said, “[The registered manager] has provided guidance, training opportunities and encouragement to me develop in my role.” Other staff comments included, “I find my manager extremely helpful kind and compassionate they are very supportive to me as a [post name] and to all their staff.” “The [registered manager] is very kind and fair to all staff in the same way.” “The [registered manager] has open door policy. The [registered manager] is approachable.”

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

We asked staff if they felt confident the registered manager would listen should they raise concerns and if they would be well received. Without exception, staff were confident in the registered manager listening and acting to investigate and address any concerns they had. One staff member told us, “I’m definite that I could raise negative issues with the management team. They will take them seriously and handle them appropriately, and I feel confident that concerns are addressed fairly.”

Relatives told us they were confident they could raise concerns with the registered manager or any of the staff team and these would be treated with respect and investigated.

The culture of the service was one of teamwork, sharing and working to ensure people had the most positive experience of residential care as they could deliver. A staff member told us, “The management team are approachable, supportive and committed to fostering an open communication culture.” Another staff member told us when we asked if they listened to concerns told us, “Certainly and they are positively and effectively responsive for each and every concern.”

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.

The service had a multicultural staff team, all of whom were accepted into the ‘family’ at Shire House. Accommodation was provided for staff should they experience difficulties in finding suitable housing in the predominantly holiday location the service was in. In particular, an overseas staff member told us they had been supported with accommodation following a poor experience early on in their sponsorship in a different service. They were now happily settled into their role and accommodation at Shire House.

A staff member told us, “I like to come to work, it is a good place to work, it’s a nice atmosphere and I feel supported.” A second staff member said, “Management is fully supportive, and supervise and maintain equality very often for all employees.”

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 registered manager completed regular audits of the service to maintain oversight. Areas audited included, infection prevention and control, food and hygiene, housekeeping and care planning.

Regular questionnaires for feedback about the service delivered by Shire House were issued to people, relatives, staff and vising professionals. We reviewed 7 mixed questionnaires, all of which gave positive feedback about Shire House. The surveys were issued quarterly giving the registered manager timely information should there be issues that needed addressing.

The nominated individual visited the service to complete in-depth audits that included spending a significant amount of time with people and staff. These were recorded and a report shared any actions needed afterwards.

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.

The provider had a very positive working relationship with the Frailty Team. They had weekly visits from a healthcare professional in the team who reviewed people’s healthcare needs, updated medicines and made relevant referrals.

The registered manager was a member of management forums that afforded them updates and the latest good practice advice in adult social care. They attended meetings and were able to discuss questions about their service and hear good practice examples from peers.

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.

The provider actively encouraged staff to learn and gain qualifications. They ensured the registered manager had opportunities to develop their skills and learning both through appropriate training and through membership of peer organisations.

Learning was taken from adverse accidents and incidents that happened in the service. Learning from the immediate event and following thorough investigation was shared with staff either at handover or during regular staff meetings.