Moorgate Lodge

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 service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities. The leadership team had a governance approach which improved standards and created a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and outstanding leadership. The registered manager told us they were passionate about the service and the support offered to people. The registered manager said, “It’s a hard vocation but I am passionate about it. We set high standards which we discuss in supervision sessions with staff and in staff meetings.” The provider had significantly invested in the leadership and oversight of the service to ensure people received the highest standards of care possible. This was evidenced by staff feeling supported and valued which led to people receiving care and support from compassionate and dedicated staff. Managers and staff were supported by the leadership team to ensure they have a good approach to problem solving. The provider also engaged an external provider to scrutinise their management style and outcomes to ensure best practice benchmarks guided continuous improvements. This had led to accreditation from the scheme, confirming external validation of the provider’s governance arrangements.

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The provider had invested in the governance of the service by expanding the leadership team to include a clinical director, quality director, 2 operations co-ordinators and an operations team. All members of the leadership team had specific roles including care practice oversight, ensuring best practice in nursing and complex care, real time monitoring of care planning records, ensuring proactive issue resolution before risks escalated and ensuring people experienced high standards of care. One external professional said, “Absolutely no concerns with the leaders of this care home. Good nursing care resulting in a happy workforce and content patients. The manager goes over and above for both her staff and patients.” Another external professional said, “I think that this is a service with a stable and experienced management team.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Procedures were in place for staff to speak up if they had any concerns. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing procedure and said they had regular meetings which gave them the opportunity to voice their opinions.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff had access to equality policies which were kept under review. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal and were supported to develop to their full potential. Regular staff group meetings and one-to-one meetings took place with staff where they were encouraged to raise any concerns they had, particularly in relation to equality. The registered manager said, “Should a member of staff come forward to say they are struggling with an issue regarding a protected characteristic, we would of course do all we could to make them feel that the home was a 'safe space' for them.” The leadership team aimed to be as flexible as they could, by offering different shift patterns. For example, some staff had moved from a caring role to a domestic position to support their work-life balance. Cultural preferences were acknowledged, for example, staff were given time and space to pray during religious festivals.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider’s governance framework ensured staff and leaders were clear about the expectations of the provider and regulatory requirements were fully understood. The provider employed a quality assurance manager who audited all aspects of the service and looked for innovative ways to develop and improve. The provider and registered manager were fully aware of their legal responsibility to be open and honest when things went wrong. The registered manager told us they believed in transparency and took any mistakes as opportunities to develop and learn. Quality and compliance audits were completed in ‘real time’ to prevent waiting for periodic reviews. This showed issues were anticipated and prevented before they escalated. External audits were in place to enhance medication management and reduce risks.

The provider clearly 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 and leaders ensured people received holistic and seamless support which met their needs. One external professional said, “When I have reviewed the care records of residents that I have visited to undertaken review, I have found these to be up to date and reflective of their care needs. Staff are able to access the records of residents under their care when I have visited and are able to inform me of the content.”

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. The provider was committed to constantly driving improvements and looked for innovative ways to refine practice. A high quality robust governance framework ensured the service was regularly audited and checked to ensure constancy and ensure the providers values and high standards were met. Action plans were efficiently used to address any concerns and to identify even better ways to deliver the service. The provider told us that the increased leadership presence of the senior management team at Moorgate Lodge had improved quality monitoring and given a proactive commitment to resolving concerns.