Darwin House Limited

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 good. At this assessment, the rating has remained 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 82 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities. The management team demonstrated an exceptional approach to the culture, openness and transparency of the service. Without exception people staff and relatives said there was an open-door policy, and staff were encouraged to ask for guidance or report any concerns. Where incidents occurred, the service was transparent and open with the details of the events. They explained matters to people, relatives, and stakeholders.

It was evident the home had an open, inclusive and welcoming culture, where people using the service came first and their satisfaction was a priority. This supported staff to continually aspire to achieve good outcomes for people and led to high-quality care being delivered.

Feedback from staff, relatives and visiting professionals emphasised this was an extremely caring service.

The service had a homely, welcoming and calm atmosphere. Without exception people and relatives told us staff supported them to live meaningful lives. Staff attended daily handovers, to share communication about the day to day running of the service and any changes in people's needs.

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.

The service was led by an extremely passionate and motivated management team. They were passionate about enabling the people at the service to live their best lives. They acted as role models for the whole staff team, working alongside them to support people on a daily basis. Their strong visibility allowed staff to raise any issues or concerns as they arose, which were addressed immediately for the benefit of the people living there.

The registered manager had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. One person told us, “Yes, the manager is very approachable there and you can speak to them at any time. They communicate with any concerns they have. You frequently see the manager walking around the home.” Another relative said, “Yes, the manager is very approachable, nothing too much trouble, and what I have noticed and a lot of places you don’t, often if I have phoned the home the manager will pick up the phone and speak, lots of places would transfer you to someone else. The manager there is really involved in the running of the home, and you see them about a lot.”

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

Staff understood whistleblowing procedures and told us they felt confident bringing areas of concern to managers attention. One staff member said, “Generally staff morale is good, management have time for staff and support our wellbeing.”

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.

Processes were in place which helped to protect the rights of staff under the Equality Act. This helped to create a more equitable and inclusive organisation. There was also evidence of reasonable adjustments, for staff who required them.

Staff felt respected, supported, and valued within all roles. Staff said they could raise any concerns without fear. The support staff offered to each other contributed to the staff team having a very positive morale. This led to a low turnover of staff which meant people were cared for by a consistent staff team who knew them very well.

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. Internal governance procedures were in place with a range of quality monitoring systems and audits. These had helped identify where actions were required and areas for improvement. The provider was supported in their governance procedures by the directors of the service.

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 provider worked in partnership with other professionals, learned from them and took their advice on board. Professionals we spoke with were extremely complimentary about the service. When people required the support of other professionals and specialist support this was sought in a timely way. One professional said, “I absolutely believe they want the best for people. They try to make it home from home.” Another said, The managers are very responsive and really professional.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. The management team were proactive in using information from audits, complaints, incidents and safeguarding alerts to improve the service. The managers worked with staff to understand how things went wrong and involved them in finding solutions.

Lessons were continuously learnt where incidents had occurred. Staff had opportunities to give feedback and contribute to the overall development of the service.