Deer Park View Care Centre

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

The service was well-led, with strong leadership and a shared vision among staff and managers. The acting management team ensured continuity and supported staff through effective governance systems, audits, and team collaboration. Staff felt valued and encouraged, contributing to a positive culture of openness and innovation. Collaborative partnerships with healthcare professionals and the community enhanced people’s care experiences, while improvements in quality assurance processes ensured sustained service development.

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 staff we spoke with were passionate about the roles they performed and expressed commitment to positive outcomes for people. They told us that teamwork was essential for achieving the provider’s vision. One member of staff said, “Looking after people is not the work of one person. It’s the role of a team. I feel very proud of what we have done.”

Leaders and staff had a shared direction for the service. The provider’s vision for the service was discussed with staff in team meetings, individual supervision meetings shared in newsletters.

The staff team was well established. Staff leave was covered by colleagues working overtime. This maintained continuity. When agency staff were deployed, they were given an induction by senior staff. This meant people were supported by staff familiar with their care and support needs.

Staff told us they felt supported by the service leadership. Staff felt valued and encouraged. One member of staff told us, “This is a good place to work. We want the best for our service users and the managers help us do that.”

The provider promoted the well-being of staff. A helpline was available for staff to discuss personal and professional concerns. This line was confidential and available 24 hours a day. Additionally, counselling was available to staff to discuss their feelings, in particular when affected by people passing.

The provider ran a ‘Heart of Gold’ award programme which celebrated the exceptional work of staff. Staff were nominated for the award by people, relatives and others. They were awarded small gifts and their achievements were celebrated at team meetings. This was motivating to staff and role modelled examples of high-quality care and support.

Staff told us they were encouraged to share their views and felt comfortable and confident doing so. One member of staff told us, “Supervision and team meetings give equality and fairness because everyone’s voice can be heard.”

Staff understood the provider’s whistle-blowing policy and their right to raise their concerns outside of the provider organisation if they needed to, in order to keep people safe.

The provider gathered the views of staff during supervision meetings, team meetings, walkarounds and through staff surveys. This information was used to support staff and to evaluate their provision of care and support to people.

People were supported by a diverse staff team. One member of staff told us, “We are diverse. We have staff from all over the world. All staff speak English.” Staff felt they were treated fairly and equally by the provider.

The provider recruited staff on the basis of experience, knowledge and suitability to provide care and support. Reasonable adjustments were available to support staff in their roles and their protected characteristics were respected.

At the time of our inspection the service did not have a registered manager in post. However, the regional director informed us that recruitment to the position was underway. The interim arrangement at the service was for the deputy manager to act up in the manager role. They were supported by the service’s clinical lead and the provider’s regional director. Supportive visits to the service were also undertaken by regional leaders and quality management. Staff felt confident with the interim arrangements, having known the deputy manager and clinical lead in their roles for many years.

Management undertook audits of care quality to drive improvements at the service. One leader told us, “We have clinical governance meetings attended by the clinical lead, manager and nurses.” These focused on people’s changing needs and how they were met. They added, “We have an ‘End of month analysis’ which is an audit of audits. These identify if actions from previous audits have not been completed. The end of month analysis gives a timeframe for all audits.” This meant the service monitored the completion of actions to address shortfalls.

At our last inspection we found that the governance and monitoring systems in place were not always operated effectively. The failure to take prompt action to improve the quality and safety of the service people received was a breach of regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection we found the provider had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulation 17.

At this inspection we found that the provider had introduced a range of new quality checks. These included health and safety audits, care plan audits and a manager’s audit which reviewed the checks and actions carried out by each department head.

To further drive improvements the provider organisation carried out additional checks. At the cooperate level accident and incident forms were checked; the service’s audits were reviewed, and a quality team visited the care home to monitor service deliver and progress against actions.

People told us staff supported their community involvement. People visited a local park, received visits from entertainers, faith representatives and children, as well as healthcare professionals. One person told us, “Any little thing that crops up they let the doctor know.”

Staff explained to us how they supported people to access resources in the wider community. For example, the service worked with faith organisations to support people’s spiritual needs and pet therapy providers who visited those people who enjoyed interaction with dogs.

Health and social care professionals told us the service worked in partner with others and supported people’s access to the community. They highlighted regular visits for people to a local park and receiving visits from children in a local nursery. The service also accessed a local befriender service for people who did not receive visitors regularly.

The provider worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to assess, plan and review people’s changing needs, as well as supporting their transition into the service. For example, the provider made referrals to and worked in partnership with physiotherapists, tissue viability nurses, speech and language therapists and end of life specialists.

Staff and leaders felt supported in their personal development. The provider arranged training courses leading to qualifications for staff and supported nurses to maintain the competencies required as a condition of their registration as healthcare professionals.

The provider promoted the development of a learning culture within the organisation. Nurses were supported to maintain their professional status through specific professional development courses. For example, nurses received training in clinical evaluation and wound training. Similarly, senior staff and managers were supported to enrol on courses leading to qualification. Care staff undertook were supported to complete the care certificate, which is a recognised national qualification.

Since the last inspection the provider updated their IT systems to improve assessment and planning for people, communication between staff and improved monitoring by managers.