Link House

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.

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, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff were supported to deliver care and support to people in line with the provider’s vision and values for the service. The registered manager told us, “We make sure that at induction, all staff are aware of our expectations. We also make sure we give them training on our policies on how we treat people. We also make sure they understand our statement of purpose and have a clear and basic understanding of our ethos…We use feedback from people, their families and healthcare professionals to check the quality of care and support being provided.”

Managers used supervision and staff team meetings to make sure staff understood how the service’s vision and values should be achieved through their working practices.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Relatives told us managers were accessible and easy to speak with and kept them updated and informed about their family members. A relative said, “The office will get in touch with me when needed and keep me updated and let us know when anything important comes up or we should be involved in.”

Staff told us managers were experienced, knowledgeable and supported them in their roles. Managers made sure they were available and accessible to people, when needed. The registered manager told us, “I make sure I meet with people and their families and get their view on how things are going.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People were supported to speak up and give their views and feedback. They were provided a range of ways they could do this, for example, through one to one key working sessions with staff or when managers visited them to check how things were going and if they had any concerns about the care and support they received.

Staff felt well supported to speak up if they had any concerns. A staff member told us, “We are encouraged to speak up if there are any issues or concerns. We have a very good support system.” Another staff member said, “We’re encouraged to speak up. The whistle blowing policy is visible and I’ve seen issues raised without blame so lessons are learned.”

The registered manager told us, “We have the regular team meetings where we encourage staff to be open about challenges they face. Just generally we have a culture of openness and transparency and having opportunities for staff to talk to us and make sure they are comfortable talking about issues they have.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us managers treated them equally and fairly. Staff received the same opportunities to learn and progress in their roles. A staff member told us, “I have never experienced a situation where I felt I was treated unfairly, nor have I witnessed any other staff member being treated unfairly. Everyone on the team is treated equally and with respect.”

Managers understood the importance of a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff. The registered manager told us, “If there is a vacancy we make sure all the staff are able to apply…We give staff flexible working opportunities and make sure we accommodate requests.” Staff were provided support through relevant training to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and 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 had made improvements since our last inspection and was no longer in breach of regulations. The providers systems in place, to check and audit the quality and safety of care and support provided to people, were now more effective. Outcomes from these were used to make any changes needed and to help staff improve their working practices, when required. The registered manager understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

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.

People were supported by staff to give their feedback about how the service could be improved for them. A staff member told us, “We regularly hold team meetings for each service user we support. During these meetings, the manager enquires about the service user’s wellbeing and encourages staff to share any relevant updates or concerns. For example, if a service user has recently developed an interest in a particular activity, we inform the manager. The manager then follows up directly with the service user to confirm the information, and if appropriate, the care plan is updated to reflect the service user’s preferences.”

Managers worked well with healthcare professionals to make sure people received the care and support they needed. They told us, “We work with the local authority for our 2 service users to make sure we keep them updated about their care and support. They will update us as well on any new developments so we are aware of these. We also work with day care providers to make sure we are working consistently together.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

The provider had used the learning from our last inspection to make improvements and positive changes to the service. They had implemented a new electronic records system which had led to improvements in the quality of information recorded and maintained about people and staff. The new system also enabled managers to improve their monitoring and oversight of care calls and administration of people’s medicines. The provider had invested in procuring the services of a training provider to ensure all staff were provided with relevant and regular training to support them in their roles. In addition the training provider had supported managers to review and update the service’s policies and procedures to ensure these reflected current national guidance and best practice. The registered manager told us the improvements and changes had led to positive impacts on service delivery. They said, “I think we have become more reliable and consistent…it has improved accessibility of information for managers and recording has made this more robust as we can evidence what we are doing. We are more able to monitor what staff are doing, what times they attend and monitor that staff are keeping logs of what they have done. We can also see what staff have read to make sure staff are reading up on all changes. It means as a staff team we are much more aware of what is happening. For staff it gives them up to date information about people and it’s a good communication tool.”