Leadership for personalisation
Effective leadership involves knowing and respecting the people who use your home, as well as the people who staff it. One important function of leaders is to protect residents against shocks – from transitions into and within the home, or from potential threats to the home’s viability.
Checklist for owners and managers
Strong leadership
Strong leadership can make the difference between a good home which has the right facilities; and a great home where residents can live their own lives.
- Is there a clear and explicit commitment to a person-centred approach from the top of the organisation? How do you make sure people know about this?
- Leadership should not be confined to the top of the organisation. How are staff trained and supported to take the lead in improving your service?
- How are the overall aims of the home defined, reviewed and updated? Are the aims co-produced? Are they identified with residents, their families and staff?
- How do you let prospective residents, and the wider community know about your services, your current aims and your ambitions?
Read Steve Allen’s article, about how Friends of the Elderly turned around a care home
Do you really know your residents?
- What arrangements are in place to ensure that staff at every level get to know the people living in the home personally?
- Do all senior staff take the lead in promoting genuine relationships with residents, based on mutual respect?
- Do workers take particular responsibility for individual residents? Are you able to ensure continuity of care?
Ensuring stability in the care home
- Do you understand the local authorities’ powers and duties in respect of market failure? Is ‘early warning’ of financial fragility built into your systems?
- Leaving your own home for a care home, or moving between care homes are major shocks for older people. How are your staff trained to smooth these transitions?
Read more about managing transitions on the My Home Life website.
Watch the College of Occupational Therapists’ film about choosing a care home, and the Living Well Through Activity toolkit.
Learning from your mistakes
- Do you have a simple complaints form/procedure which is easily available to residents and their families?
- Does the culture of the home encourage open comment by residents?
- Do you learn and make changes as a result of complaints and feedback?