Priscilla Wakefield 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

At our last inspection in May 2022, we did not change the rating of good in this area. We found the rating remained good during this assessment. The leadership was capable and compassionate and had a strong ethos of openness and inclusion. There were clear pathways the service followed to achieve improvement and leaders and staff had a culture that embraced feedback and progress.

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.

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.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they provided care, treatment, and support, embodying the culture and values of their workforce and organization. The leadership team comprised of a supportive system that included the registered manager, a deputy and two clinical leads who covered two floors each. There were also two night managers to support the night staff team.

Staff and leaders told us they felt well supported by the directors and the management structure and were able to contact everyone as needed. Requests for additional training and equipment to support further the good quality of care provided by the home were positively met.

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.

There was evidence of clear roles and responsibilities within the staffing team. Staff we spoke to showed understanding of their responsibilities and were open and accountable. A culture which encouraged reflection and continuous learning from incidents was well-embedded in the home. Staff regularly took part in meetings and told us they had opportunities to share their ideas and opinions, contributing to the governance of the service.

The management team ensured CQC were informed of all notifiable events and required actions were followed up in this context. The service demonstrated a culture of openness and transparency in communication with relevant authorities as needed. Records and personal information for staff were securely stored in lockable cabinets in the service.

The service recognized their responsibility to collaborate and work in partnership, ensuring seamless service delivery for people. They shared information and learning with partners and worked together for improvement. People at the service benefited from the partnerships established with local health services, including GPs, district nurses, and physiotherapy, as well as connections with the local and the broader community celebrated with frequent trips and dedicated activities to areas of interest such as wellbeing and dementia.

Effective systems were in place for continuous learning and improvement. Leaders were keen to engage with learning bodies and research, which showed the service is committed to in improving the lives of the people they support and share learning outcomes. The service offered placements to nursing students which increased the support that was available to people and had planned further placements for specialised speech and language students for the coming months aiming at actively improving the care of people with needs in these areas.

The service was also involved in different research projects at national level including the DRCHA study with University of East Anglia and University of Herts. This demonstrated the leaders’ dedication to the deliverance of equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. Additionally, the service engaged in trials of technology aiming at preventing falls at night. Leaders were exploring innovating practices to achieve improvement actively contributing to safe and effective practice and research for example they encouraged decaffeinated teas/coffee to try and reduce the numbers of urinary tract infections in people. Staff reported that incidents and the lessons learned from them were discussed in meetings, where they explored ways to make improvements for people.