Why Closed Cultures Exist in Care Homes (And How Leaders Unintentionally Create Them)
- Admin
- Dec 17, 2025
- 3 min read
By Kerry Cattell Care Home Leadership, Culture & Governance SpecialistFormer Bupa & Avery Regional Director , CQC Nominated Individual.
Introduction: Closed Cultures Rarely Start With Bad Intent
When serious care failings occur, the phrase “closed culture” is often used.
What’s rarely explored is this truth:
Most closed cultures are not created deliberately.They are created gradually; through leadership behaviour.
In my experience, closed cultures usually form in services where leaders care deeply, feel under pressure, and are trying to hold everything together.
This article explains why closed cultures exist, how leadership unintentionally creates them, and, crucially, how they can be reopened safely.
What Is a Closed Culture?
A closed culture is one where:
Staff do not feel safe to speak up
Mistakes are hidden rather than shared
Incident reporting is low or defensive
Fear replaces learning
Leadership feels punitive or unpredictable
Closed cultures are dangerous because risk goes underground.
CQC is clear: closed cultures place people at risk of harm.
The Role of Fear (Often Invisible)
Fear is the single biggest driver of closed cultures.
Fear of:
Blame
Disciplinary action
Being judged
Letting the team down
Failing inspection
When fear is present, staff stop being honest, not because they don’t care, but because they are protecting themselves.
How Leaders Unintentionally Create Closed Cultures
In almost every closed culture I’ve worked with, leadership behaviour played a role, usually unintentionally.
Common leadership patterns include:
1. Emotional reactions to incidents
Raised voices, visible frustration or panic signal danger to staff.
2. Jumping too quickly to “who’s at fault”
This shuts down openness immediately.
3. Inconsistent responses
Staff never know what reaction they’ll get.
4. Over-escalation
Turning learning moments into formal processes unnecessarily.
5. Leaders carrying everything themselves
This creates dependency and fear of getting it wrong.
Why Policies Don’t Fix Culture
Many organisations respond to cultural issues by writing more policies.
This rarely works.
Culture is shaped by:
Behaviour
Language
Tone
Consistency
Staff learn quickly what is really safe by watching leadership responses, not by reading policies.
The Cost of a Closed Culture
Closed cultures lead to:
Poor incident reporting
Repeated mistakes
Burnout and turnover
Regulatory concern
Safeguarding failures
Loss of trust
Most importantly, they compromise care quality.
How to Reopen a Closed Culture Safely
Reopening a closed culture takes time and consistency.
Effective steps include:
✔ Slowing down leadership reactions
✔ Asking “what happened?” instead of “who did this?”
✔ Separating accountability from blame
✔ Thanking staff for raising concerns
✔ Modelling honesty and reflection
✔ Making learning visible and shared
Staff will test whether it’s really safe, repeatedly.
Consistency is what rebuilds trust.
Psychological Safety Is Not Being “Soft”
One of the biggest myths is that open cultures mean low standards.
The opposite is true.
Psychological safety allows:
Earlier reporting
Faster learning
Stronger accountability
Better outcomes
High standards and kindness are not opposites.
The Leadership Shift That Changes Everything
The most important question leaders can ask is:
“What might my response teach the team?”
Every interaction either opens or closes culture.
Final Thoughts
Closed cultures are not created by bad people.
They are created by fear, pressure and unintentional leadership behaviour.
The good news is this:
Culture can be reopened, when leaders are willing to reflect, slow down, and lead differently.
That is the work of well-led care.
About the Author
Kerry Cattell is a Care Home Leadership, Culture and Governance Specialist, former Bupa Regional Director and CQC Nominated Individual. She supports care providers, registered managers and boards to build open, safe, compliant and sustainable care services across the UK.
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