Sunnyhill Residential 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

The service had a positive and friendly culture where staff felt valued and well supported by the management team. Staff worked well together and supported one another, and they told us they felt able to ask for help, and raise concerns whenever they needed to. The management team were knowledgeable and visible in the service and would support staff with the workload if needed. Auditing processes were in place, and a service improvement plan had been introduced to capture and track actions to improve the service. The registered manager was further developing this plan. Auditing of policies needs improvement as several contained out of date links and information. The manager told us during the assessment that these would be reviewed.

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.

Staff told us that there was a positive culture at the service and that the management were approachable and supportive. One staff said, “Management are visible around the home.” Another staff member told us, “The manager’s door is always open – even when they are busy. Communication is good.” From their last staff survey, most staff knew the values and mission statement of the company and would recommend it as a good place to work.

A handbook was provided and placed in reception for people and visitors to read. It included the vision and aims of the service and their approach to care. The service had an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy in place, however it was in need of updating and reviewing to reflect the latest guidance and references, and did not accurately reflect the service. A service improvement plan had been recently introduced and was being developed to track and monitor the progress of action plans and improvements. Not all areas of the service were included at the time of our assessment.

The registered manager was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their service. They were very involved in the day to day going’s on in the home and knew every person living there very well. Staff were very complimentary about the management and leadership in the service. One staff said about the registered manager, “Very approachable and has offered me support. She always says, you can come to me.” The registered manager told us how supportive the new owners had been which had led to improvements in the home.

The registered manager and provider were very visible in the service and role-modelled care and compassion for people and the home. The provider had shown a genuine interest in making improvements and investing in the service. The registered manager demonstrated concern and care for the staff team and delegated responsibility to others to develop their skills and make them feel involved and included in the running of the home. Staff had been asked about their opinions through meetings and by surveys. The registered manager belonged to manager forums, and support groups to get shared knowledge and best practice updates.

Staff told us they felt valued and listened to. They could always speak to the manager who made time for them and listened. One staff told us, “Supervisions are regular – they are a good process. There is an open door policy here.” One staff member described how she was able to influence change in the service. They gave an example of suggesting a safe storage area that could be used for personal telephones during work time.

There were processes in place to encourage staff to speak up and to contribute ideas and suggestions for improvement. Staff surveys were regularly sent out, and the registered manager had recently reviewed and made changes following some feedback that some questions were difficult to understand. Staff have regular meetings with an agenda and are encouraged to add any items to the agenda in advance.

Staff told us they were happy working at the service. In the last staff survey, all staff who had responded said they felt staff were treated fairly. Staff gave us examples of how they had been supported when they had family emergencies, or needed to attend certain events. Staff had been offered flexibility around their family needs. Staff told us how they liked the variety of cultures and backgrounds of their work colleagues.

The digital care system enabled staff for whom English is not their first language, to be able to use a voice note feature which translates their comments into written records. Staff were supported with their faith and religious needs, and the Registered Manager had provided staff with prayer mats, and ensured that their time to pray was respected. A summerhouse in the garden was offered to staff who wished to use it for quiet prayer or reflective time. Staff were provided with a free employee assistance programme where they could access confidential support for financial advice, family advice or personal well being support.

The registered manager told us how a programme of regular audits takes place and the responsibility is shared between the management team to complete these. Staff told us that they found some areas on the system difficult to navigate for relevant information. Staff said that they knew the service was safe because regular checks took place of equipment and the environment.

Care records were held and completed on a computer system. Records were not reflective of the care and support needs of people, as they contained both new and outdated information to guide staff. Despite poor records, staff knew people well and were able to respond and support people appropriately. A service improvement plan had been introduced where events and incidents, as well as audit results were populated. This was easy to read, and trends and themes could be easily identified. The progress of actions was tracked and it was clear who was responsible for the action and the timeframe in which the actions should be completed. However, some events were not included such as complaints and safeguarding. This was discussed with the Registered Manager who agreed to incorporate those topics. We looked at several policies including the Training policy, Safeguarding Policy and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. All of which had not been kept up to date and did not reflect latest guidance or best practice. We have recommended that these be reviewed and updated. Notifications and safeguarding referrals had been sent appropriately and the registered manager understood their role and responsibilities. Regular meetings were held with other managers in the company and the owners and discussions were open and supportive. A comprehensive business continuity plan was in place which laid out clearly the procedure to follow in an unusual event, such as fire, severe weather, power outage. It included details of a sister service where people could be moved to if necessary. Staff who live within walking distance had been identified to support in the event of severe weather. The plan included forms which would need to be completed, and contact numbers. The Registered Manager carried out unannounced visits to the service at nights and weekends to monitor the quality of care. The provider carried out regular visits and unannounced spot checks of the service.

Relatives told us that relevant health and social care professionals were contacted appropriately when required.

Staff gave us examples of the many health services that they work with to support people, such as chiropodists, occupational therapists, SaLT (speech and language therapists), dieticians, and the medicines team. One staff said, “We have a visiting optician who provides in-house eye care and prescriptions.”

Discussion with a visiting health care professional confirmed she enjoyed working with the staff who were ‘ ‘knowledgeable about people’s needs and promoted a person centred approach’

The registered manager attended forums and meetings with other managers in the group to troubleshoot issues, reflect on incidents, and to share good practice. Records showed that recent updates had been shared relating to security of information and email scams. The local authority market support team were working alongside the service to support with training. Specialist advice had been sought where necessary and we saw records of work with the mental health team, SaLT (speech and language therapists) team, pharmacists, district nursing teams and occupational therapist’s to ensure people were getting best possible care and support.

The registered manager had many plans to enhance and expand the service. The plans included the addition of a new restaurant style dining room, and a community hub shop. There were also plans to improve the signage and website. There were plans to re-introduce champion roles, and to develop staff with additional training for those roles. One staff told us, “If there is anything I would like training on – I can just ask.”

Staff meeting records showed that discussions had taken place to reflect on recent training attended. Staff were invited to attend a session to increase their confidence around completing behaviour and incident/accident forms with the deputy manager. The registered manager had improved procedures for communicating with families so that they would always receive the information in an email as confirmation of a message. We saw how through observations of care practice, the registered manager had identified a need for improved communication with people by the staff. The management team had discussions with staff, and role modelled the approach to staff to encourage better practice. A further observation and audit had shown that the meal time interactions had improved as a result.