Wemyss 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

In the well-led key question, we assessed 4 quality statements in relation to the culture of the service, partnership working, the competence of leadership and mechanisms for people to speak up about the service. There was a positive culture within the service and there were assorted opportunities for people living at the service, their relatives, and staff to speak up. The manager and deputy were knowledgeable about people, the service, and key legislation, and supported the development of staff.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Most staff spoke positively about the culture. The manager explained they promoted a positive culture by having an open-door policy, introducing lots of training modules such as how to promote a positive workplace culture and mental health training, and by being engaging and friendly with staff, relatives and people living at the service. The manager told us: “I understand [staff’s] beliefs might not always align, but training helps staff understand how each other work. I am open and transparent, am listening and am respectful, all of that promotes a positive culture.”

There were processes in place for ensuring staff were aware of the company’s values and the vision, such as a display board in a communal area, displays in the staff room for staff, and personal key-rings cards for staff detailing these. These processes appeared to be effective as staff were knowledgeable about these. Meetings took place regularly where staff where the company values were discussed.

The manager told us they had completed a wide range of training, including a management qualification in health and social care, health and safety courses, and is a registered nurse. The manager went on to tell us they were also completing a master’s course in Health and Social Care Management. The manager appeared open to feedback from CQC and other professionals and used this to inform and improve practice.

Staff with additional responsibilities, such as in leadership roles, were required to complete additional training, such as supervision and performance management training.

Most staff told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns with the manager if needed. However, one staff told us they did not always feel comfortable addressing particular concerns. However, the manager told us how they addressed this by ensuring staff supervisions were completed by an external service to promote staff speaking up if they had any concerns.

There were procedures in place for staff to speak up and share their thoughts and ideas. We saw minutes of staff meetings which showed staff were given the opportunity for this. Resident meetings also took place regularly where people had the opportunity to share their feedback about the service and these were being used to improve the service. For example, some people fed back they would like to see some changes within the garden area and these changes had been made.

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.

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

All relatives told us the service works well with external services. One relative told us “Yes, other teams are involved. Like the speech and language therapy team, external swimming [hydrotherapy], and the mobility team. The service deal with a lot of external people. The original mental health team at the hospital suggested Wemyss Lodge to [person]. On visits [to the service] the [staff] noticed that [person’s] mobility had gone down [prior to admission] and said she was only too glad to help.”

Staff gave us examples of how they worked with healthcare professionals, such as the local GP and the speech and language therapy team. The manager explained they worked with the mental health service, and the complex intervention and treatment team. The manager explained the positive impact which working collaboratively with other professionals had on placements. The manager said without support from external services some placements may have failed.

We received consistently positive feedback from external healthcare professionals who work closely within the service. One partner told us: “Wemyss Lodge work in a collaborative way with many services including physical care professionals, mental health, learning disability professionals and pharmacy teams, and utilise community events such as regular swimming. I see activities taking place each time I visit and residents enjoying this. Wemyss are open to new ideas and ways of working and adapt to these well.” Another partner told us: “The facility emphasises collaboration and communication with healthcare professionals and the patient’s family to ensure the best care plan is in place. If there are any concerns about the patient’s mental wellbeing, staff communicate effectively through emails or phone calls to address these issues promptly. This integrated approach ensures that the patient receives comprehensive care while keeping their safety and wellbeing a top priority.” A third partner told us: “Wemyss Lodge engage fully with multidisciplinary meetings and put the service user at the centre of these meetings pulling together the appropriate team for each individual to ensure best interest decision making is fully informed and the widest options considered.” The partner also told us how well the service had collaborated with other teams to support a person to successfully move back into their own home.

The provider took part in weekly meetings with the multidisciplinary teams to ensure they worked collaboratively with external professionals. We saw evidence of healthcare professional visits documented in people’s daily records and saw staff chased healthcare professionals in a timely way where required, to ensure people received good outcomes.

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.