Sandown Court (Care Outlook)

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. This is the first assessment for this newly re-registered service which was taken over by a new provider in November 2023.

This key question has been rated 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 provider 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.

Staff were supported by managers to deliver consistently safe, high quality, person-centred care and support to people in line with the provider’s vision and values for the service. Staff worked-well together to try and achieve this. Systems and processes had been designed in line with the providers vision and values and focused on people and meeting their individually assessed needs and wishes. The managers had a clear vision for the scheme and told us they routinely used individual supervision and appraisal meetings to remind staff about the provider’s underlying core values and principles.

The provider 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.

A stable and consistent management team was in place at the scheme which meant the service continued to be well-managed. The registered manager and the deputy manager were responsible for the day-to-day running of Sandown Court and another of the providers extra care housing schemes in the local area. The deputy manager was permanently based at Sandown Court and the registered manager at the other ‘sister’ extra care housing scheme. These managerial arrangements worked well because both managers were suitably experienced and qualified, and both schemes were located within close proximity to one another.

The feedback we received from people about how the scheme was managed was positive. People told us the managers were very friendly and always accessible and approachable. One person said, “I think the place is extremely well-run with compassion and love by both the managers who know exactly what they’re doing.” A relative added, “The managers have an open door policy, which means they are always easy to reach and talk too.”

Staff were also overwhelming positive about the leadership approach of the managers who they consistently described as effective, professional, and friendly. One member of staff told us, “We couldn’t function without them [managers]. They are both extremely supportive.” Another member of staff added, “The managers are supportive and approachable.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Managers encouraged an open and transparent culture where people living at the scheme, their relatives, external health and social care professionals and staff were encouraged to raise concerns and without fear. The provider used a range of methods to gather people’s views about what the scheme did well or might do better, including through regular individual and group meetings and satisfaction surveys. People told us they felt comfortable raising concerns with the managers and felt listened to. One person said, “I was happy with the way the managers took a concern I raised with them seriously and took immediate action to resolve the issue I had. It was handled really well and quickly.” Staff were supported to have their say and make suggestions for improvements through regular supervision and meetings with managers. A member of staff said, “I have regular one-to-one supervisions with my line manager where I can talk about how I’m doing and raise any concerns I might have.”

The providers complaints policy was available to in different formats to meet peoples preferred communication requirements and detailed how people could raise concerns if they were dissatisfied with the service and the process for dealing with them. Informal concerns and formal complaints raised were logged, investigated and appropriate actions identified and taken to improve the service.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff were well supported by managers who treated them equally and fairly. Managers understood the importance of having a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff to work in. The registered manager told us, “We have a diverse workforce here with people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, so we make suitable adjustments to the duty rotas so staff can celebrate various religious festivals and holidays, if they wish.” Staff were provided support through relevant training and supervision to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace. Staff told us there views were respected by managers and they felt like valued members of the team.

The provider 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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Governance systems were well-established, effectively operated and used to regularly check and audit the quality and safety of care and support people received at the scheme. The provider used electronic systems to oversee staff call visits and care packages. For example, their call monitoring system automatically alerted managers to late, short, or missed visits.

Outcomes from checks and audits were used to identify performance shortfalls and make any changes as and when required to improve staffs working practices. When lessons needed to be learnt the provider developed action plans to improve the service they provided people. Managers demonstrated a good understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities in relation to assessing, monitoring and managing the quality and safety of the service they provided. One member of staff told us, “The managers are always checking up on us care staff to make sure we’re doing are jobs properly.” Another member of staff added, “I have regular meetings with my line manager where I get feedback about my work performance.”

The quality of information recorded and maintained on people’s records, and records relating to the management of the service was sufficiently detailed, up to date and accurate.

The managers and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to regulatory requirements around notifiable incidents. Our records indicated they continued to notify the CQC in a timely manner about any incidents and events they were legally required to. They also understood their responsibility to apply duty of candour and where appropriate apologised when things went wrong.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people.

They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Managers and staff told us they worked closely with various external health and social care professionals and bodies who they regularly consulted and welcomed their views and advice.

External health and social care professionals confirmed this when they explained they had only positive experiences of working with this provider. One said, “We have a good working relationship with this provider. The managers are proactive and in regular contact with us about our client’s needs. Our opinions are always sought and respected, and they respond to our queries in a timely manner. This approach ensures a joined up, seamless service is delivered to our clients.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice.

Managers and staff recognised the importance of learning lessons and continuous improvement to ensure people living at the scheme received good quality safe care and support. Managers told us all the audits and checks the provider conducted were routinely analysed to identify performance shortfalls and learn lessons, so the service could continuously improve. Staff confirmed information about any lessons learnt were always shared with them during individual and group supervision meetings with their line managers.