Working at The Highlands
Durham Road, Chester Le Street, DH3 1LY
Operated by Pathways Care Group Limited
14 bedsResidential homes
Workplace Score
7.1/10
AI analysis of latest data
Our AI workplace review
PlainSight AI Review
Last updated: 10 February 2026
Score: 7.1/10
Key Finding
"Strong leadership and a supportive family-like culture for staff, but staffing lacks a stable long-term team and activities miss dedicated coordination."
Safety & Risk
7/10
✓
Staff knew how to recognise abuse... safeguarding issues were reported and investigated. Accidents and incidents were analysed... Medicines were managed safely... administered and recorded correctly.
Staff Culture
8/10
✓
Staff told us they thought the service had an open and honest culture. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and felt able to discuss any issues with them... We are like one big family.
Staffing Levels
6/10
✓
There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe. There was always a minimum of three care staff on duty during the day and two staff overnight. Relatives told us they felt there were enough staff on duty whenever they visited.
Training & Dev
7/10
✓
Staff received regular training, supervision and appraisal... Staff had completed national vocational qualifications and some staff completed additional levels such as management awards.
Management
8/10
✓
The registered manager had been in post for over 12 years. We found they provided focused leadership... The staff said that they had a good relationship with the registered manager and they were comfortable about being able to challenge each other's practice as needed.
Programmes
6/10
✓
People were actively engaged in a range of activities... day trips, learning crafts and learning skills such as baking. When we visited people were engaged in gym work sessions with staff a local day unit.
Points to consider
Staff numbers meet basic needs with set minimums on shifts, but no word on stable long-term team or avoiding agency staff.
There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe. There was always a minimum of three care staff on duty during the day and two staff overnight.
Varied activities like trips, crafts, baking and gym sessions add interest to the day, but no activities coordinator or specialist named programmes.
People were actively engaged in a range of activities and had opportunities to access the wider community... day trips, learning crafts and learning skills such as baking.
AI Generated
CQC Inspection Overview
CQC Inspection
Last inspected: November 2018
Good
Safe
✓
Good
Effective
✓
Good
Caring
✓
Good
Responsive
✓
Good
Management Quality
Well-led: Good
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Chat on WhatsAppSources
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Data
- PlainSight staff reviews