Knowle Court

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. This is the first assessment for this service under a new provider. This key question has been rated requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 57 (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 strategy and culture which was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement but this had not been shared and embedded within the staff team so that they understood the provider’s vision.

The provider had taken over the service relatively recently and there had been significant changes in management during that time. As a result of this, there had been some negative communication issues with the staff team. A new manager was starting at the service at the time of our assessment, and a deputy manager had been appointed and was waiting to start. The provider responded well to the issues identified and understood work was needed to make sure all staff understood their vision and values.

Leaders had not always understood the context in which the provider delivered care, treatment and support. They did not always embody the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had not always had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively, or had not always do so with integrity, openness and honesty.

A lack of effective and consistent management at the service had affected the quality of care provision. Lack of supportive direction had affected staff morale. The provider and new management team were aware of these issues and had plans in place to address them. Staff said they would welcome more effective communication.

The provider was keen to embed a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People felt they could speak up and would be listened to. People were not always sure who the management were but knew they could speak with any member of staff if something was worrying them.

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.

The provider employed a diverse staff team including different ethnic backgrounds and genders. Recent issues relating to management in the service had resulted in staff not always feeling valued or involved in the service. The provider was addressing this.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance.

The provider had systems to audit quality and safety within the service in place. Whilst these systems had contributed to improvements, they were still in the early stages of implementation and had not always been effective in identifying issues which might affect people’s safety and wellbeing. More time was needed to demonstrate that governance systems were fully embedded by the new management team and effective in ensuring issues were consistently identified and resolved.

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.

Feedback was positive from the local authority about how the provider had responded to their contract monitoring visits. The provider and their team were open and responsive to the assessment process. They understood their responsibilities in sharing information with partners.

The provider had not embedded a focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation that encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

The provider had taken learning from the outcome of local authority assessments of the service and although had been pro-active in addressing issues, further work was needed to demonstrate that lessons had been learned that would drive sustained improvement within the service.