Devonshire House and 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

During 2023 the service suffered a period of difficulty during which the registered manager left the service. In March 2024 a new manager joined the service and, together with the support of the provider through resources and investment, the new management team had made significant improvements to the quality of the service. However, most of these improvements had only been in place for a short time, and so these improvements were yet to be fully embedded into the culture of the service. The new management of both the service, and also at provider level, had improved the service to be rerated good at this assessment. People, their relatives, staff, and external professionals had recently been surveyed, and we noted their comments. Almost all commented on the significant improvement to the quality of the service in recent months and all said the service was safe and was now of good quality. One relative summed the last year up and their hopes for the future of the service writing, “When the previous long term (registered) manager left relatives were not informed. There was no communication about what had happened and then the lead nurse for ‘Moorland view one’ (unit) left, as did the lead activities coordinator and deputy manager. It was a scary and unsettling time. The current manager has set up friends and family meetings both in person and via Teams (an IT based communication system). This needs to be sustained beyond this inspection (assessment). I hope things like the meetings do not quietly slip and get forgotten about when the first flush of enthusiasm wanes.”

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 did not look at Shared direction and culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

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 had been a period of disruption in the management of the service in 2023 during which the registered manager and some other key personnel left the service. There was temporary lead management in the service for a time during the absence of a service manager. During this time a new deputy manager was appointed from within the home bringing their knowledge of the service and peoples’ needs, into the onsite management of the service. The appointment of the new service manager had brought fresh ideas, motivation, experience and leadership to the service. As a result of the governance of the service by the provider, staff and relatives told us the quality of the service had improved from that delivered in 2023. People, their relatives, staff, and external professionals were now being asked for their views of the service, through surveying (last carried out in May 2024), and managers meeting with relatives and people that use the service, to obtain their feedback and ideas. Suggestions made from these sources had been acted on by both the service's and provider's management.

All staff received regular supervision. This had only restarted recently due to the disruption in service management. There was a robust system for staff to hand over what care had been delivered and how people were and what support they needed. This meant staff were kept up to date with each person’s wellbeing and any changes in needs. Audits were consistently taking place up to director level. There was a computer based audit system which showed any issues in in real time as they arose. The provider’s directors and area management were involved in the day to day running of the service. There was a service improvement plan agreed by service and provider management, and this was being delivered. This means that what was planned for development in the service was always known by the organisation’s national management, who took ownership of the actions to be carried out.

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

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.