Byron Lodge Care 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 assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment 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.

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to poor governance systems. We found improvement at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. The provider had taken action to ensure governance systems were effective.

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 clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. The provider’s core values featured ‘family, honesty and respect’, as a foundation for their services and this was evident in the approach of all staff we spoke with.

Although the manager was relatively new, they were very knowledgeable about the service, including people’s needs. Feedback from people, relatives and staff indicated they promoted a culture where people were at the centre of their care and support. Staff confirmed they were regularly involved in meetings and this included sharing and learning from concerns and incidents. Staff told us they had opportunities to discuss their opinions and contribute to the governance of the service.

One staff member said the new manager was very supportive and the staff were lovely. The staff member knew the extended management team and felt at ease to speak with each member. They said staff worked really well together and Byron Lodge was a happy environment.

The provider had inclusive leaders 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The activities co-ordinator explained they used an online translation app as an aid to communication with people using the service whose first language was not English. This helped to make sure they could voice their likes and dislikes, and choices and opinions. People and their relatives told us they felt the service was run by capable leaders and staff echoed this. One relative said, “[The manager] has been really kind.” When asked if anything could be improved they responded, “It’s been brilliant here.”

There was a welcoming atmosphere in the home. There was tea and coffee freely available for visitors in the reception area, staff wore name badges, and there was a guide to the uniforms staff wore to help people identify staffs’ roles. One visitor said, “First impressions, very helpful and informative.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There was regular engagement with people and those close to them and their feedback was used to improve the service. The activity coordinator produced a newsletter every month to keep people up to date with what was happening in the and there were regular residents’ and relatives’ meetings. Relatives described good communication with the service, enabling them to express any concerns or make suggestions, which managers listened to and responded to.

One staff member had worked in the home for several years. They told us they had seen lots of changes. They said, “it feels nice at the moment. There’s a good atmosphere and staff are lovely to work with. [The manager] is nice and I feel I can speak to her. It can be a bit emotional. [The manager] understands. We have team meetings and we can say how we feel. [The manager] values us. It’s a very pleasant place to work.”

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 told us they felt valued and could voice their ideas and suggestions any time.

Staff’s culture and religion were respected, for example, space and time to worship was available to staff when needed. Staff spoke positively about the support they received and gave examples of when additional support had been given to meet their personal circumstances.

The provider had policies and procedures in place regarding equality, diversity and inclusion. There were policies in place on whistleblowing and staff were aware of how to whistle blow should the need arise. Staff told us they were encouraged to share their views, and they felt they were listened to.

The provider had taken action to ensure governance systems were effective. The provider had effective systems in place to oversee and manage the quality and safety of the service. Members of the management and staff team were involved in carrying out a range of audits and checks covering all aspects of the service. Managers from the provider’s senior team also conducted audits and devised service improvement plans with the new manager, based on their findings. There was good coordination of these audits and checks, and findings were discussed with staff.

There were ‘flash’ meetings every morning which included discussion of people's health conditions and needs. These included staff from all departments. The new manager attended these meetings and it was evident that this had provided them with good overview of the service. Staff fed back daily about any changes in people's support needs or issues via meetings and handovers, which were recorded and monitored. Members of the management and staff team were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff told us the new manager nurtured a positive culture in the service.

The provider understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Staff told us they had built very positive working relationships with health and social care professionals and worked in partnerships with them to achieve good outcomes for people. Health and social care professionals told us staff worked very effectively with them and the feedback we received about the service from partner professionals painted a picture of a good service.

The service were involved in some initiatives with partners, such as areas of study in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University in relation to dementia care environments, and how people interacted with each other. The provider also had a falls awareness campaign. This was an initiative taking place in all the provider’s homes, led by the quality team.

The provider had a focus on learning and improvement across the organisation and local system. The new manager had good oversight of the action plans in the service and priorities for improvement. They made sure staff received ongoing support and training in their roles and promoted a positive, team culture. The registered manager’s response to incidents and concerns was open and honest and demonstrated a willingness to share learning with the staff team to help avoid similar incidents in the future.