Culture of the organisation: good

W3. Is there a culture of high-quality, sustainable care?

Characteristics of services we would rate as good in this area

Leaders model and encourage compassionate, inclusive and supportive relationships among staff so that they feel respected, valued and supported. Leaders at every level live the vision and embody shared values, prioritise high-quality, sustainable and compassionate care, and promote equality and diversity. They encourage pride and positivity in the organisation and focus attention on the needs and experiences of people who use services.

Candour, openness, honesty, transparency and challenges to poor practice are the norm. The leadership actively promotes staff empowerment to drive improvement, and raising concerns is encouraged and valued. Staff actively raise concerns and those who do (including external whistleblowers) are supported. Concerns are investigated sensitively and confidentially, and lessons are shared and acted on. When something goes wrong, people receive a sincere and timely apology and are told about any actions being taken to prevent the same happening again.

Behaviour and performance inconsistent with the vision and values is identified and dealt with swiftly and effectively, regardless of seniority. There is a culture of collective responsibility between teams and services. There are positive relationships between staff and teams, where conflicts are resolved quickly and constructively and responsibility is shared. There are processes for providing all staff at every level with the development they need, including high-quality appraisal and career development conversations. Equality and diversity are actively promoted and the causes of any workforce inequality are identified and action taken to address these. Staff, including those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act, feel they are treated equitably.