Buckingham 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

People benefitted from living in the service which was well-led. Systems were in place to get feedback on the care provided and raise concerns, to promote a positive culture within the service. Good governance was established to enable staff to continuously assess and monitor the quality of the care provided. People, relatives and staff felt the management team were approachable and had confidence in them to deal with any concerns. People and their relatives told us communication was good. Comments included, “The management team are all friendly and approachable, [staff] on reception is very good” and “Manager is very nice and friendly and approachable, back in position now, runs the home well, her management style is quietly efficient, good relationship with her staff, happy to see her back, atmosphere is very friendly.” Staff told us they felt supported by the management team, worked as a team and enjoyed making a positive difference to people.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People were cared for by a team of staff that were well aware of the provider’s core values and culture. Staff told us this was discussed in their induction and leaders promoted it through their actions. Staff told us they felt valued and felt they had a voice in making improvements within the home. People were supported to engage in their religion and cultural activities. A church service was provided in the home, and some people were supported to attend external services. The registered manager worked to the duty of candour regulation and acted in an open and transparent way with people receiving care or treatment, their relatives, and staff. A support clinic for staff facilitated by the provider’s HR team demonstrated staff were very happy the registered manager had returned to the home and felt they were a good leader who supported staff to achieve their potential.

People benefitted from staff who were led by an experienced and inclusive leader. The provider recognised the importance of investing and developing staff’s skills to develop them and to promote retention. Each member of staff who provided feedback to us, told us there was a clear structure and they were clear about their role and responsibility. The registered manager and other leaders had good communication about initiatives to support them achieve in their role. Systems were in place to promote effective communication with the team. A range of meetings took place which included handover meetings between shifts and a daily meeting to update all heads of departments on plans for the day. Alongside this team meetings and clinical review meetings took place.

Staff told us and we observed a positive culture within the care home. Staff told us they would not hesitate to talk to the management team about any concerns. They told us they had confidence in being listened to. One member of staff told us “I am confident to work here, because I am confident with the leaders we have.” Another member of staff told us “I am very much listened to when I have any suggestions, management keep it confidential and always provide me with feedback.” Systems were in place to enable people, relatives, and staff to speak up. Resident and relative meetings took place. There were visual displays on notice boards to inform people and their relatives how to raise concerns and make suggestions for improvements. “You said we did” display boards demonstrated the service acted on people and staff’s feedback. The provider carried out annual surveys of people, relatives and staff, with action taken to address the areas for improvement identified through the surveys. Regular team meetings took place, and staff were provided with one to one supervision meetings. This provided staff with opportunities to speak up. The provider’s whistle blowing policy further promoted freedom to speak up guidance for staff.

People were supported by staff who represented the local community, staff represented diverse backgrounds and different skills. The service promoted the skills of staff to speak languages of people living at the home. We saw this had a positive impact on people’s well-being. Staff told us they felt included in the home and valued. The provider’s policies and procedures supported an inclusive culture where all people and staff were respected, and their differences celebrated. The provider had a ‘celebrating cultures’ scheme, staff would share their culture, including food, dance, music and traditions with the home. The provider sent a weekly newsletter to all staff, this contained reminders of the core values and celebrations of how staff have made a positive difference to people. It was clear from reading a sample newsletter staff voice was really important to the provider in driving improvements.

Staff were clear on their roles and responsibilities. Staff told us they worked well as a team and all supported each other. We observed this to be the case. There were robust systems in place for monitoring the quality of people’s care and identifying where improvements needed to be made. This included audits of infection prevention and control practice, care plans, catering, safe practices and governance. Action plans were put in place where work was needed to address any shortfalls. The provider’s compliance and governance team also monitored the service. The provider had ensured we had been notified of all events they were required to tell us about. Records and personal information were held securely and available to staff when required. The home had a business continuity and emergency plan in place, in the event of occurrences such as power failures, adverse weather and pandemics.

People were supported to have opportunities to engage in meaningful activities both at the care home and within the local community. Buckingham House had developed a partnership with the local food bank in 2022 and the support continued to date. People were supported to attend local community events such as the turning on of Christmas lights and celebrating national events, like carers week. People were asked to share a wish with staff, we found these had been facilitated. For instance, one person wished to go to the local park and swing like they used to as a young person. It was apparent from photographs taken the person really enjoyed the time spent at the park. People who were less able to access the community due to their health were also provided with valuable one to one time to engage in meaningful activities. Buckingham House had an initiative called “stop the clock”. This was a moment during the day when staff would sit with people who were cared for in bed and support them with their chosen activity. People were supported to continue with their chosen activities, for instance, one person was a keen pianist, and they were supported to play for their husband. We observed all staff were supporting activities within the home. On the day we visited a local personal trainer facilitated gentle seated exercises, staff across the teams were seen supporting people to take part. Relatives told us they felt part of the Buckingham House community, they were sent weekly information about planned activities and the weekly menu. One relative told us “Residents’ meetings are held every 3 months, this helps foster a listening culture.” We read positive feedback from community bodies who knew the home. One comment was “I just wanted to congratulate your team on the excellent communication with me as a local church minister.”

People were supported by a team of staff that had a clear vision for development, learning and achieving excellence. The provider had clear strategies in place which they cascaded to staff. Staff at Buckingham House were compassionate about learning and engaging in research and development. The home had worked with UCL university, Dementia Research Centre. The home had facilitated a guest speaker who was an unique dementia support cascade facilitator. Senior management had worked with local healthcare professionals on well-being strategies for residents, one of which included a delirium pathway. The provider supported the celebration of staff. This was by recognising long service and individual cultures. The provider also held internal competitions, MasterChef as an example. The provider supported staff to be nominated for national awards held by partner agencies. The registered manager had been nominated and was a finalist in the Women Achieving Greatness in Social Care – The Social Care Superwoman Award 2023. We found the registered manager used nationally recognised studies to support people maintain well-being and health. For instance, they ensured people stayed cool in hot weather. The care home used technology on a daily basis to help assess and monitor people’s needs. It was also possible for authorised staff to access people’s GP records, which made clinical information readily available to nurses. The provider and registered manager promoted learning, and reflective practice. This was shared with staff. Staff told us they found this of benefit to their own learning. Staff also felt supported to develop in their role. We found the systems in place to monitor the quality of the support were effective and drove improvements.