Madelayne Court

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

We reviewed 4 quality statements under this key question: Shared direction and culture, Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders, Governance, management and sustainability and Partnerships and communities. Staff were clear about their responsibilities and roles and felt supported by the registered manager and senior management team. Staff spoke positively about the leadership and culture of the service. The providers quality assurance systems and processes ensured effective oversight 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.

We received positive feedback about the culture of the service. The registered manager told us, “I am visible, I go out on the floor, I would never ask the staff team to do something I would not do myself. We are a team, and work together to ensure people feel listened to, are happy, safe and treated with respect and dignity.” Staff spoke of the positive culture within the service, and how they all felt well supported. Comments included, “I love working at the home, I love the residents,” “I am very happy working here, everyone is supportive and approachable.” And “It is the best it has been in a long while. Happy faces all round, I enjoy coming into work, seeing people’s faces, and making a difference to their lives.” Relatives spoke mostly positively around the support provided by care staff and felt the registered manager was approachable, however, some relatives told us they felt communication could be improved on. Comments included, “Communication is not always ideal. It would be nice to know when the doctor is in, however if I had an issue, I would speak to the floor manager or go and speak to [name of registered manager].” “The registered manager could not be lovelier. They phoned and told us they had a good photo of [family member] playing a game and sent me the photo. We are happy with the service. Cannot fault the home, staff are so kind to [family member] and so knowledgeable, any changes they will call me straight away.” And “I could not fault them, anything I asked they answered.”

Systems and process were in place to share information with staff. Daily flash meetings and handovers were held to share information about people using the service. Staff had the opportunity to regularly attend staff meetings or share information in their 1:1 supervision. The registered manager told us they had an open-door policy and were available should any member of staff need to speak to them.

The registered manager told us they were well supported by the provider and their regional operations manager. Meetings were held monthly with other registered managers for peer support. There was the opportunity to visit the organisations other services and head office staff were always at the end of the telephone for advice if needed. The registered manager had implemented ‘employee of the month,’ staff were recognised for their commitment, day to day practice and going above and beyond. This was received in the form of a certificate and a voucher.

The registered manager told us, “It is an achievement to work my way up and I have a really good team behind me, they all are onboard. If they think something is not achievable, we discuss it and work out a solution.” Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and other colleagues. They were provided with training to enhance their knowledge and skill sets to provide safe care and treatment to people. Staff told us staff morale was high due to the good working relationships they had with the management team and other colleagues. Comments included, “We do loads of training, I have spent last couple days training, I did dementia with the Alzheimer’s society, falls prevention. We do practical manual handling, first aid and fire safety, there is always lots going on. The managers are so supportive and helpful” And “Care team leaders and management are incredibly supportive and approachable. I would not hesitate to speak with them. Work instructions are given clearly, and I feel confident in what I am doing.” And “The managers support us. The company is good at spotting talent and will promote. You can progress within the service. They promote on talent rather than age. If the new recruit is unsuitable for care, the home will try to transfer them to another position e.g. housekeeping to see if it would suit them better. There is good communication within the home with each other.”

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

There were effective governance processes in place. The registered manager and others completed a regular schedule of audits and addressed issues and risks timely. The provider was aware of the regulatory requirements and made statutory notifications to relevant agencies when required to do so. There was a system to manage incidents and learn from them to improve practice.

Staff feedback was positive, they told us they felt supported and listened to by the management team, comments included, “We have staff meetings and supervisions The management team are incredibly supportive and helpful. We attend flash meetings daily, where we discuss resident of the day, deep cleans, medicine issues, the domestic team support during mealtimes. We discuss accidents, falls, safeguarding, anything else we want to bring up.” And “We have supervision and attend staff meetings. The care team leaders attend a daily meeting. Support is 90%, some things need improvement, although the registered manager does listen to what we have to say.”

Meetings and surveys were used to seek people’s opinions and views. We saw 6 monthly staff surveys and annual staff surveys form the organisations head office. Visitor surveys were seen for 2023 and some were just being returned for 2024. People satisfaction surveys were broken down into 2 areas, catering and activities and the registered manager told us ‘Taste testing’ sessions were held in February as a result of the survey feedback and to see what other items of food could be introduced to the menu.

Feedback from visiting professionals we spoke with was positive. Comments included, “Overall, happy with the care home, they are efficient in sending through the list of people to see in a timely manner. All referrals are justified, and staff follow instructions regarding treatments. No issues with the service.” “I am scheduled to visit every 7 to 9 weeks, staff are cooperative. It is a pleasure attending the home, I do not leave worrying about anyone.” And “Staff are good, very responsive. Staff always call and refer in a timely manner. Staff always follow instructions and are interested in the residents and advice given. They (staff) are very responsive, I have no concerns with the home.”

People and relatives feedback was mixed in relation to being told or involved in what was going on within the service. We saw regular resident meetings had taken place and minutes of relative’s meetings held - although attendance was low. Comments included, “I think communication could be better,” “There is no forum to discuss what is going on in the home,” And “There are social media pages about the home, but there are no meetings that I’ve been made aware of.” The registered manager advised at the moment relatives meeting dates are displayed in the front reception and on the television screens to display information for visitors. However, was aware not all relatives are able to visit regularly. Moving forward the registered manager advised they will be ensuring all people’s relatives/representatives will receive this information by way of email/letter enabling them access to the prearranged dates.

The registered manager and wellbeing lead told us how they work together with other partner agencies within the local community. The registered manager said, “We keep ties with community. One of our wellbeing leads attended the parish council meeting to organise our summer fete. We recently worked with a local retailer, by packing customers shopping to help to raise money for an interactive table. We have use of a minibus to organise more trips for people this year.” One of the wellbeing leads told us they had maintained links with the local nursery and primary school and was visiting the home on their day off with their grandchild as she understood the pleasure they gained in meeting the children. On the 2nd day of our assessment some people and staff were getting ready to visit one of their sister homes to support a programme implemented in care homes - to improve safety and reduce harm for vulnerable residents at risk of admission to hospital or significant deterioration. We saw staff and people with printed t-shirts and water bottles getting ready to enjoy the day out.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.