Thorne 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

During our assessment of this key question, we found that there had not always been sufficient oversight to fully monitor the quality and safety of the service. However, a new management team was in place and action plans were already in progress to address some of the concerns we found. Where action plans were not in place concerns highlighted were addressed immediately. The provider had a shared vision, strategy, and culture which staff were aware of. Staff were positive about the management team and the support they received. Staff and management were seen to work in partnership with people, relatives, and professionals. People and most relatives felt the service was managed well and were kept well informed.

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 strategy in place which was based on their mission, vision, values, and philosophy. The senior team and staff shared this vision. One staff member said, “A good culture, very open. If anyone had any concerns or worries, they’d be open to going forward and reporting. Very inclusive, feel like everyone is welcomed, almost a bit of a family, everyone speaks their mind.”

The provider had a strategy in place, ‘Our Philosophy’ which laid out clear goals and objectives focusing on positive outcomes for people supported. All levels were passionate about promoting a positive culture that was person centred, open, inclusive, and empowering.

The provider was aware of the need for quality services and had systems and processes in place to provide appropriate support to people they provided care for, and for their staff team. Staff spoken to were positive about the support they received and gave examples of when additional support had been given to meet their individual circumstances. One staff commented, “Personally feel supported by managers who are very approachable and helpful.”

The provider kept up to date with best practice and changes in legislation. We saw examples of how the provider had identified issues which may have impacted the service and how they had taken proactive measures to address them. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis was completed in September 2023 to get everyone’s views, opinions, and ideas to develop understanding, knowledge, and goal planning to inform service improvement.

The provider offered regular opportunities to listen to feedback and to use this to drive improvements. Staff felt confident their voices were heard and action would be taken if concerns were raised.

There were policies in place on safeguarding and whistleblowing. Staff received training on and were aware of how to whistle blow should the need arise. Feedback was gathered and action from feedback was taken to drive improvements. The provider had a complaint’s process in place. An easy read version of the complaints form was seen displayed in all apartments.

The senior team promoted workforce diversity and had systems in place to support any protected characteristics staff may have. One staff member said, “All from different walks of life and backgrounds. Would be able to approach manager.”

The provider had policies and procedures in place regarding equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were provided with contracts of employment which gave them information about their rights. Training was provided for staff and people living at Thorne House on Equality and Diversity.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and had a good understanding of the mission, vision, and values of the provider. The provider had systems in place to oversee the running and the development of the service they were providing. One staff member said, “Throughout the day management will observe care, they don’t often observe personal care due to service user privacy.”

There had been several changes to the management structure at the home with the manager and deputy manager only recently in post. A new electronic recording system had also been introduced and was still in the process of being embedded and further information added. Feedback from people, relatives and partners referenced staff turnover and agency usage and the impact of this. The provider had worked hard to recruit to vacant posts and the new management team were enthusiastic about taking the service forward and agency usage decreasing. The provider had structures in place to monitor and improve the quality of care they delivered. Systems such as audits and quality monitoring were used to check the quality and safety of the service and actions plans were noted to be in place to address issues highlighted. However, some of the concerns we found were not picked up by these audits. The senior team took immediate action to address these issues and reviewed their audits to include areas highlighted. The provider had a business continuity plan which detailed how they would be prepared for emergencies. The manager was aware of their responsibilities to notify partners. For example, notifications to CQC and safeguarding alerts.

Overall people and their relatives were positive about their experience of the team at Thorne House. One relative commented, “The management and staff are fantastic. They are doing their best, I have good communication but limited with staff, a lot of agency staff coming in.”

The new management team had a strong commitment to improving the service and were open to suggestions for improvement, recognising the importance of joint working with partner agencies. Staff were also aware of the value of working in partnership, with professionals, people and with other staff. One staff commented, “Yes, it’s a kind of family between service users and team – always look forward to the day because will see colleagues and service users.”

Overall feedback from partners was positive about communication and joint working. One commented, “I found the home to be welcoming, and the people being supported there appeared to be happy and healthy.”

Records seen evidenced involvement of partners. However, some care records needed more detail to enable effective information sharing between the service and healthcare professionals. The provider recognised the importance of a consistent staff team in providing good support. Recruitment drives were ongoing and staff vacancies and agency usage were seen to be reducing.

The senior team was willing and open to innovation and learning and could describe examples of where learning had taken place and outcomes improved for people. Staff felt involved in being part of service development and improvement. One staff said, “Asked about opinion during appraisals, required support and improvement ideas. Managers will listen. They will explain why something is the way it is, or if it can be improved it will be adopted.” Staff could describe the benefits of the support and training they received and the opportunities the provider offered for personal development.

The provider had systems in place to seek and act on feedback from people, families and staff and improvement plans to take the service forward. We saw examples of how processes had been strengthened to ensure the provider was supporting staff to develop their skills around improvement and innovation. For example, accessing additional training and personal development for staff members. The provider had invested in a new electronic recording system which they said was fundamental to them in them monitoring and improving care. We received positive feedback from one professional regarding information provided by the new system so far, “There is a new digital system in place which has taken some time implementing and moving care plans to the digital format. But since the introduction of the new system, MDT’s (multi-disciplinary team meetings) are easier as the information can be accessed easily, and information is at the fingertips of the staff member in the MDT meetings.”