Chiltern Rest Home

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

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

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 service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. People, their relatives, and staff all felt listened to by the service. Everyone felt their views were valued and respected. People were encouraged to provide feedback on the care they received, and this helped shape their service. For example, one person stated they were engaged with making decisions about the decorations within the home. This helped their confidence as they felt they were still able to contribute to making changes.

The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Everyone we spoke with including people, relatives, and staff found the management team to be open, receptive and supportive. One staff member stated they felt very supported, and everyone was treated equally. They went on to say if there were ever any changes in practice staff were informed immediately and supported to change or improve.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Everyone, including people receiving a service, relatives and staff felt able to openly speak up about anything that concerned them. People attended regular resident meetings and those close to them could also provide feedback. Staff members had access to policies which informed their practice including the whistleblowing policy. All those we spoke with felt they would be supported if they needed to raise a concern.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. All staff members stated they felt they were treated equally. They said managers checked with them to ensure they were not being subjected to any discriminatory or unfair treatment.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. For example, a recent quality check of their medicines identified the need for more detail in the medication protocols to ensure people received their medicines as intended. We saw this was actioned by the management team as per the recommendations without any delay.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People were supported by staff and the management team to engage with their local communities and partners. This included GP’s, District Nurses and others involved in their care and support. One person said, “I am very happy about if going into hospital. The staff plan this with me and make sure everything goes smoothly.

The service focused on learning and improvement across the organisation. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice. Quality checks were instrumental in driving good governance within the service. There were checks on care and support plans, medication administration and with the physical environment. For example, following checks changes were made to windows to ensure they were safe and in accordance with the latest guidance for keeping people safe. The home sought people's views and opinions from residents. People were engaged in questionnaires about their care on a regular basis. One person stated they were very happy with the care they received and staff supported them as they wanted but could not think of anything which could be done better.