Positive culture key to promoting best practice, MD says

Speaking at the Residential & Home Care Show at ExCeL this week, Ladder to the Moon’s Chris Gage said creating a climate that allows for freedom, trust and support amongst staff is vital when ensuring that poor practise is prevented in care homes.

The managing director argued situations where staff don’t have the opportunity to contribute can often lead to a culture of fear which can have “massive consequences”.

He said that pressure can build within a fearful environment which can lead to people not talking up when they spot bad practice.

Chris said: “What we end up with in our services is, on the one hand we end up with a culture of fear, where there’s conflict, where people are focused on controlling the system, on managing what’s happening.

“And then in the best cases, people have freedom, they’re supported, they’re living with trust on a day to day basis. And what we’re talking about here is the organisation of climate.”

Gage claimed that in order to create a positive climate, it was important to focus on three main things: people, processes and outcomes.

With regards to people, he said that care homes should facilitate leadership, build team effectiveness, focus on events that drive involvement and respond positively when things don’t work out as planned.

On processes, he outlined that leadership should consider the ways in which they run meetings, how they measure success, how to balance control and freedom, and what their systems prioritise.

Regarding outcomes, he said it was necessary to focus on wellbeing, vibrancy, enjoyment and quality of life, and to consider that learning is more focused on results.

Ladder to the Moon is a social enterprise that works with healthcare organisations to enhance the quality of residential care for those living with dementia and old age, through the use of creativity, coaching, training and consultancy.