Whiston Hall

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 identified 1 breach of regulation. Systems in place to monitor the service were not always robust and did not always identify and address issues. We identified some concerns around infection control, mealtime experience, and staff training. The manager took action to address these concerns following our inspection. However, these issues had not been previously identified or addressed via the providers governance systems. This meant systems required embedding into practice.

This service scored 61 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The home had a new manager in post who wanted to ensure there was a positive culture in the service. Staff were committed to provide compassionate care. Staff felt the new manager involved them in the service, listening to their views and opinions and offering an explanation if their suggestion didn’t change practice.

There had been several changes in the management of the home which had led to a lack of consistency. Staff had not always felt involved in the service. Staff were confident the new manager would work towards a shared vision. The provider had an equality and diversity policy in place to ensure people's human rights and diversity were understood.

At the time of our inspection there was a new manager in post who was being supported through their induction programme by the regional manager. We received positive feedback from staff regarding the new manager. Staff felt the new manager was fair and approachable. Staff felt valued and listened to.

There had been several changes in the management team and the home did not have a registered manager at the time of our inspection. The new manager operated an open door policy to ensure staff could have access to management. Systems to record feedback required embedding into practice.

Staff told us they were supported to speak up and had access to the whistle blowing procedure. Staff felt supported by the new manager and felt they were approachable. One staff member said, “I feel the new manager is very approachable and is settling in well within the home supporting all staff in all departments.”

The provider had a whistle blowing policy and staff knew how to access it.

Staff felt able to progress within the service. One staff member told us how they had expressed an interest in promotion and were supported to achieve this. Staff felt the new manager included them in decisions and listened to them if they had any suggestions.

A supervision and appraisal system was in place and staff were supported to progress within the company if they showed an interest.

The management team identified that some systems had failed them. For example there was no up to date record of staff training. We spoke with the management team about concerns regarding the dining experience, the provider agreed to address the issues, but the internal audits had not been robust in identifying concerns. Staff told us that systems were improving however these needed to be embedded in to practice. Staff told us they took part in daily flash meeting whereby a representative from different departments in the home could raise concerns. One staff member said, “I feel that during these meetings each individual is listened to.”

Audits in place to monitor the service were not always effective. For example, the mealtime audit had not identified any concerns regarding the mealtime experience. The housekeeping audit had not raised any concerns about the environment. However, we found storerooms required attention and cupboards in the dining room required deep cleaning. The training matrix identified staff did not always receive training in line with the providers expectations. The provider told us they had recently changed the training system and the statistics had not migrated over to the new system. However, staff we spoke with told us they had completed training and felt they had the skills to carry out their role.

People knew who the manager was and told us they were approachable and available for them to speak with. People had confidence they would be listened to.

Staff and managers told us they interacted well with visiting professionals and had built up good working relationships with them.

The local authority had recently carried out a review of the service with an outcome of good. There are some domains that were rated requires improvement, which included involvement and information, consent, management of medicines and staff support. The provider had implemented an action plan to address these concerns.

People and staff had confidence in the manager and complimented their leadership. The manager ac knowledge there was some issues to address and had started formulating a plan of improvement. During our inspection we identified that outcomes for people could be improved, especially for people living with dementia.

Staff told us they took part in daily flash meeting whereby a representative from different departments in the home could raise concerns. One staff member said, “I feel that during these meetings each individual is listened to.” Staff felt the new manager involved them in the service, listening to their views and opinions and offering an explanation if their suggestion didn’t change practice.

The provider had daily flash meeting to communicate any issues in the home. These meetings required embedding in to practice to ensure they were effective.