Skylark 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 and their relatives told us their quality of life had improved since the last inspection. People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and described competent leadership and a fair and inclusive approach. Staff described improvements in the recruitment, training and deployment of staff. They explained how this had led to better communication, both between staff and with people and their families. Improved continuity of care meant that staff were able to get to know people very well and they demonstrated a firm understanding of people’s individual needs and preferences. Staff described a positive culture where they were encouraged to speak up and to engage with the strategic objectives of the service. One staff member described how staff worked well together when supporting people with dementia. They told us, “It’s calm and quiet here, we know people well and anticipate what they need.” There were effective governance and management systems and the registered manager demonstrated clear oversight of the service. Staff had positive working relationships with health and social care agencies. The local authority had no concerns about the quality of the service.

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.

Team meetings were well attended and included discussions about culture of the service and reminded staff about policies including Whistleblowing policy. A quality performance report identified progress, including training compliance, for example, medication training and health and safety training.

Staff described a positive culture, where they felt well supported. One staff member said, “I am supported to be myself.” Another told us, “It’s a good atmosphere, we all get along well together.” Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the strategy and vision for the service. One staff member said, “It’s a wonderful team here.” All the staff we spoke with said they were proud to work at Skylark House. The registered manager told us they felt well supported including in decisions that they needed to make.

There were effective systems for recruitment of leaders at the service. Staff were encouraged in team meetings to undertake training, including for qualifications. Records of staff training showed high levels of compliance in all training courses.

Staff spoke highly of the support they received from leaders at the service. One staff member told us, “I feel very well supported.” Another staff member said, “I do feel valued.” Staff said the registered manager was open and approachable. One staff member said, “The manager is very helpful, and always asks ‘How are you?’ ” Staff told us they were to receive a take-away meal as part of staff recognition week arranged by the provider and the registered manager was organising this. A staff member described how this helped staff to feel valued. They said, “We are getting treats this week, there are often things like this happening.” The registered manager said staff were encouraged by the provider to improve their knowledge and experience so they could progress in their career. They told us about internal promotions that had been achieved by some staff. The provider encouraged celebration of staff achievements and had a recognition scheme for staff who made an extra effort.

The provider had a whistleblowing policy and staff were aware of this and how to report any issues. Records of staff meetings showed this policy was discussed and staff were reminded to raise any issues with the registered manager. The provider sought the views of staff through a confidential survey called the Over to You survey. Records of staff meetings showed staff were reminded to complete the survey and encouraged to add their views so that improvements could be made.

Staff described an open culture and said they would feel able to raise any concerns. They were aware of the provider’s whistle blowing policy and said their views would be considered and valued. One staff member said, “We have staff meetings and they always ask what we think, I can speak up no problem.” Another staff member told us they would feel able to report any concerns, they said, “I would go to the senior or up chain of command.”

There was a diverse staff group at Skylark House and staff told us they worked well as a team. Staff said they felt they were treated fairly and equally at Skylark House. They described an inclusive culture where all staff views were welcomed. One staff member told us, “We do have meetings in groups and on our own.”

The provider had a policy which supported staff to request flexible working arrangements. Staff received regular supervision and support in line with the provider’s supervision policy. All staff had opportunities to raise any concerns and to access support and training.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, including maintaining accurate records and reporting any concerns. One staff member described using ‘the chain of command’ to report concerns, another staff member explained the importance of accurate recording. They told us, “We do incident reports to keep a record and to see if there is a trend.”

There were systems in place to support management oversight and governance. This included analysis of incidents and accidents to identify the route cause, any trends and learning. The provider used a range of audits and quality assurance processes to support the management of the service. Systems to ensure records were up to date and accurate were effective, minor inconsistences were addressed quickly.

The local authority quality assurance and market support team provided information about contact they had with the service to support them with guidance about visitor policies during an outbreak of an infectious disease. They had no concerns regarding the quality of the service.

There were communication systems in place to support effective collaborative working. Staff had developed positive working relationships with health and social care professionals and local community groups.

Staff described positive working relationships with partner agencies and community groups. One staff member told us about the benefits of having developed positive relationships with local community organisations including a church, they told us how some people liked to attend services at the local church. Another staff member described working in partnership with the local hospice who had supported them with training and advice.

People told us staff were proactive in working with partner agencies and health care services. They said staff supported them to arrange and attend appointments and to ensure information was shared appropriately. One person said, “Anything I want is sorted.”

The registered manager had a service improvement plan and this identified areas of practice that needed improvement and included actions to take and a timescale for improvements to be made. Systems supported the effective oversight of staff deployment and this had led to better continuity of care and improved communication between staff and with people and their families. Staff training had supported better understanding of dementia and provided staff with improved strategies for supporting people. Systems to support person centred activities had been effective in driving improvements that had led to better quality of life for people at Skylark House.

Staff spoke positively about improvements at the home, including better continuity of care with a stable staff team. Staff spoke with pride about the improvements, one staff member said, “It’s a wonderful team here.” Another staff member said, “I would live here.” The registered manager told us about improvements in dementia training that had been well received by staff. A staff member told us this had enabled staff to look at different strategies when supporting people.