Sylvian Care Southampton

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. Improvements were found at this inspection, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, and understanding people’s needs. Staff knew the aims and values of the organisation, which were displayed in the office. Staff induction included the organisation’s values. The registered manager talked about these at staff meetings to ensure they were embedded in the service.

A staff member told us, “The environment encourages diversity and ensures that everyone has equal opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute. I feel comfortable being myself at work, and I appreciate that the team values inclusion and works together to maintain a positive and supportive atmosphere for both staff and patients.”

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. All the staff we spoke with felt supported by the management team. A staff member told us, “This is a great place to work. I find it rewarding to help patients feel comfortable, supported, and respected while working alongside colleagues who share the same dedication to quality care. It’s fulfilling knowing the work we do truly matters.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and that their voice would be heard. The provider surveyed people and their relatives for their views. The provider had a policy on Duty of Candour to ensure staff acted in an open and transparent way if people came to harm that could have resulted from their care and treatment. Staff we spoke with were happy to speak up for people, always listen to people’s needs and to act on any concerns or needs that people may have.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by promoting equality. There were policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. Senior managers engaged with staff regularly to gain their feedback and support them with their individual needs and circumstances. A staff member told us, “I do feel that the workplace is inclusive and promotes equality. From my experience, staff are treated fairly and with respect, regardless of background, culture, religion, gender or abilities.”

The service had made improvements in all areas of governance. The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider’s action plan had been effective in addressing the shortfalls we found at our previous inspection. Internal governance included a range of quality monitoring systems such as audits for care plans, medicine records, staff recruitment files and safeguarding. The registered manager oversaw the service’s monthly audit and reported the results to the provider. The provider carried out a quarterly audit to make sure governance systems were operating correctly and effectively.

The registered manager took immediate action to strengthen the monitoring arrangements of typical cream and complaint records to ensure these records were always comprehensively completed.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The leadership team and staff worked effectively with health and social care professionals to meet people’s needs. Staff had undertaken reviews with relevant healthcare professionals as people’s needs had increased. They made referrals to occupational therapists, community nurses and GPs when needed.

The service supported people to go out and use community facilities. There were plans to strengthen and expand the service’s connections locally. This included taking people out for trips to garden centres or meals at a local restaurant. The service was considering a festive lunch for people without family nearby, as an opportunity feel the family spirit at Christmas.

The service had won an award at the annual franchise conference for the network builder of the year award. This was for their work with the local hospice. The service also supported local charities.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. Leaders were very positive about the service and wanted to make further improvements for people using it. Their emphasis on continuous improvement included actively seeking the views of staff and people both formally and informally. Staff meetings and supervisions were used as a way to make improvements to the service. A staff member told us, “We take responsibility of our actions and if we make mistakes, we are honest and report them so they can be rectified straight away as not reporting mistakes can cause harm to clients. We are able to reflect and learn from our mistakes and undertake more training to help us avoid making the same mistake.”