St Martins

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

We assessed 7 quality statements in the well led key question and found areas of good practice within governance and management of the home. The scores for these areas have been combined with scores based on the rating from the last inspection, which was requires inadequate. The assessment of these areas indicated areas of good practice since the last inspection therefore, our rating for the key question has changed to good. People and their relatives told us that the home was well led and that the registered manager was open and approachable. Staff supported this and told us the registered manager fostered a culture of openness and they were encouraged to speak up when needed. Since our last inspection improvements had been made to the home and a range of quality monitoring tools had been developed and were used to ensure the oversight of the service. The registered manager had good working relationships with professionals who supported the service and was developing links within the community to encourage people to be more involved and had access to the community and activities relevant to them.

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 and management team had a clear strategy of ongoing improvements and developments which they communicated with staff. The registered manager described methods they had taken to ensure the night staff felt included as part of the team by ensuring dedicated management support on a weekly basis. One staff member said, “[The registered manager] has been amazing, she has worked tirelessly to make changes and improvements for us all, I'm proud to work at St Martins.”

Staff and leaders demonstrated a positive, compassionate, listening culture that promoted trust and understanding between them, and people using the service and was focused on learning and improvement. The registered manager ensured all staff were fully trained and had an action plan to upskill and promote staff from within to ensure knowledge retention which kept the people within the home safe. The provider had a comprehensive ongoing action plan which included further refurbishments and improvements of the home’s culture, vision and direction and we saw evidence this was regularly reviewed.

Since our last inspection the registered manager told us that communication and support from the provider had improved, and this had resulted in good outcomes for people. The registered manager said, “I talk with the provider daily now and they are supportive of the progress we have made and our ongoing plan, they are keen to hear resident and staff feedback. This has shown people and staff they are valued.”

Since our last inspection the provider had ensured there was appropriate management cover for the home and had received updates and quality management information throughout the week which ensured the management team received appropriate support. We saw the provider regularly communicated with staff in the home in an open and professional way and acknowledged improvements and achievements within the service.

Staff told us they were given time, space and the opportunity to speak up and now felt confident to do so. At our last inspection people and staff felt unheard and feared repercussions. Staff told us this culture had changed. One staff member said, “We could talk to [registered manager] before, but their hands were always tied, now it feels like we are all working to the same goal.”

The provider had policies in place to support staff and people to raise complaints and guidance on the help and support available to raise a whistleblowing concern. We saw evidence of this being discussed in meetings and managers acting on feedback by staff. For example, we saw evidence the registered manager and administrator had attended the home during the night to support staff following feedback raised and this support was ongoing.

Staff told us management supported reasonable adjustments where possible to accommodate things like appointments and childcare. One person said, “We cover each other shifts when needed, the registered manager supports this flexibility, it means less sickness and people are kept safe.”

The provider followed safe and robust recruitment practices, which included appropriate checks to ensure suitability. There were policies in place to support staff with their health and wellbeing which included flexible working. We saw evidence of improvements since our last inspection and staff now received consistent support and opportunities to raise concerns or give feedback such as regular supervisions and team meetings.

Staff gave positive feedback about the recent changes to the home and the management structure and support provided. Staff told us there were clear on their roles and responsibilities since our last inspection and the recruitment of a dedicated domestic team had supported them to be able to meet their responsibilities. A staff member said, “Before I was doing 7 jobs at once, now I get to concentrate on my role as a carer, this means I support people safely now, this has been the biggest change.”

The provider and management team had a range of audits and quality monitoring tools which they used to oversee the performance of the service. These included medicine processes, accidents, incidents, and infection control tools. Currently management were responsible for completing all these actions however there was a plan in place to upskill staff to be able to support and complete these audit and quality checks which would eventually free up the management team to have oversight of running the home.

People told us they enjoyed the range of activities provided by the home and stated they were asked for their feedback and ideas for future activities. One person said, “They [staff] are always asking us what we want to do, Im happy being at the home, I don’t want to go out. Staff are always about and doing things we have a laugh and joke every day, that’s what I need most.”

Since our last inspection the registered manager had worked with people and partners in the community to increase connections with other organisations. For example, there were now frequent resident meetings in the home which were chaired by AGE UK. This meant people had an independent advocate they could speak to confidentially if the need arose and could freely express ideas. The registered manager also told us of the plan to increase opportunities for people to participate in activities within the community.

The local authority and visiting professionals we spoke with were positive about the changes in the home. One professional said, “The improvements have been amazing, it has really been a team effort and the staff deserve the credit for the home they have created.”

Staff and the registered manager were open and transparent, and collaborated with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies to submit information such as safeguarding concerns in a timely manner which ensured people remained safe.

The registered manager told us that since the last inspection they had been open and honest with people, relatives and staff about concerns that were found on that inspection and had included them in planning and developing an improvement plan. Staff we spoke with supported this. One staff member said, “It was hard to hear the feedback and concerns last time, but we were not surprised. Things have changed and we have learned through better communication and from being honest. We have a no blame culture that supports us to learn and improve now.”

The provider and registered manager had made improvements since our last inspection and had a comprehensive action plan to ensure improvements were sustained and developed further. There were processes to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and we saw evidence of learning outcomes being shared with staff during meetings. For example, call bell times had been reduced and learning around this shared with staff so there was clear guidance on how to keep people safe.