Boldshaves Oast

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

At Boldshaves Oast there was a culture of care in which people and staff were valued. The registered manager was visible in the service and took a genuine interest in people with a strong desire for people to live their best possible lives. Governance and quality assurance systems were not fully embedded at the service.

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.

We did not look at Shared direction and culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Governance was not well-embedded at the service. The management team had not consistently had a full complement of staff which had impacted the effectiveness of the overall governance of the service. At the time of the assessment the registered manager was assisted by two senior care staff whilst recruitment was underway for a deputy manager. They also received regular support from the regional manager. The registered manager was aware of their roles and responsibility and had prioritised the day to day running of the service and the well-being of service users and staff. This meant that they had not always been able to keep up to date with aspects of their quality assurance role.

The service’s improvement plan evidenced that although there had been progress towards making the necessary changes, some additional actions were needed and changes had not always been achieved within set timescales. Shortfalls in relation to record keeping had been raised in the provider audit in August 2022 and at the Direct Monitoring Assessment call with the provider in June 2023. At this assessment in May 2024, although there had been a significant improvement in record keeping we found some shortfalls which indicates this practice had not been embedded within the service. The provider’s quality assurance checks included visits to the service and observation of care and support provided. During these visits the staff team had been complimented for how they supported people at the service. ‘The staff team at Boldshaves work extremely well together as a team… . The staff continue to use all their skills to support and enhance the lives of the people we support.’ There were a range of meetings to ensure important information was communicated between staff about people’s well-being. This included handovers between staff shifts, team leader meetings and provider meetings. Incident and accidents were reviewed to see if any lessons could be learned for the benefit of people who used the service. Senior staff understood their roles and responsibilities and had been delegated specific areas of oversight such as medication, food and activities.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The registered manager had nurtured a positive culture at the service. Staff told us the culture had improved as a direct result of the registered manager. The registered manager was a visible presence at the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in people and staff. There was an open-door approach and people and staff sought the registered manager throughout the day. Staff told us they felt well supported and enjoyed spending time with people and taking them to different activities. As a result the service had a relaxed, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. A staff member told us, “It is a good place to work. It does not always feel like work as it is do enjoyable. It is like a family atmosphere”. The registered manager kept their learning and development up to date. They had completed a leadership course, attended provider regional meetings and reviewed CQC updates.

The majority of feedback we received from relatives and professional was positive about the management of the service. However, a minority of relatives told us that they had to raise the same issue a number of times before it was looked into. Feedback about the management of the service was sought through questionnaires and a face to face meeting had been arranged with a family BBQ A relative told us, “The manager is fantastic. She's very approachable on all matters and says if I have a problem or something to ask. I only have to pick up the phone and if she's not there she'll call back. She gets things done and is a good listener as well, it means such a lot.” A health care professional told us, “ I have always found the running of the operation to be very professional and the premises maintained to a high standard. The staff are also very professional and caring individuals. My patients always seem cheerful and contented.”

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.