The Meath Epilepsy Charity

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.

The management team told us they ensured the staff were valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to thrive. Staff told us there was a good and positive culture within the home where people and staff had a good rapport, and the atmosphere was one of respect and care.

The provider set a culture that valued reflection, learning and improvement. The registered managers effectively used staff supervision and regular team meetings as a platform for staff to raise any concerns and an opportunity to share their views and opinions.

The nominated individual and registered managers were passionate and committed to developing the service for the benefit of people who used it. They told us their long-term vision was to have an outstanding CQC rating. A relative told us, “If I may say, since the last inspection, requires improvement, they have been jumping. It was all taken very seriously, and it is much improved. It is very noticeable” and another said, “I can’t think of anything to improve. It’s an amazing place.”

The managers were always looking at innovative training and ideas to develop the service and the staff. The nominated individual told us, “We would like a health and wellbeing suite, with different resources such as reflexology for people to access. A lot of it is to be responsive and listen to people and staff. Research is something we are specifically interested in.” They added, “Air conditioning is coming to the main house. We are also working on the infra-structure of the place. A consistent temperature helps regulate people’s seizures too.”

The management team were keen to lead by example, live by the values of the company, and encourage the staff team to do this too. The quality assurance manager told us, “It’s around the values and to demonstrate and deliver from your values, not just something that’s on the website. Here, people definitely live the values. It is fantastic.”

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.

People knew who their individual service managers were and were positive about them. We visited all 8 services and found all the managers were efficient, caring and knew people’s individual needs well. The staff told us they thought they lead the services well and were approachable, visible and supportive.

Relatives praised the service managers, registered managers and provider. Their comments included, ‘I know the manager – [They are] fabulous! My [family member] loves [them] to bits”, “The manager is lovely. Welcoming and very helpful” and “The manager is absolutely approachable. [They are] so invested in [family member’s] care. Both the manager and the deputy manager are first class.”

All the staff we spoke with were positive about the registered managers and provider. They told us the whole service had improved as the managers respected valued and respected them. They added the managers put people at the centre of everything they did and led a staff team by example.

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

People and relatives were given information when they moved to the home about how to raise a concern and said they knew how to make a complaint.

Staff told us they knew about the provider’s whistleblowing policy and would not hesitate to use this to benefit staff and people living at the home.

The provider had some processes in place to support staff to speak up. This included supervision meetings, handover meetings, staff meetings and a whistleblowing policy. Staff had also received training in safeguarding to reinforce their understanding and their responsibility to speak up. The quality assurance manager told us, “Staff are very confident to bring up any concerns openly. There are a lot of managers around, we have supervisions and appraisals. They can raise anything. We also walk around and give them the opportunity to speak up about anything they want to. We also have the staff surveys. We invite all staff in so we can review the results together. If they can’t make it, we give them individual opportunities to meet us and talk.”

The HR department was onsite, and staff were encouraged to visit them if they had any concerns. A registered manager told us, “HR take new staff to all the services to meet all the managers. We then talk to them about how the induction works, how they can report anything of concerns. We offer them reassurance and an open-door policy. The HR team is very open, and staff are aware they can see them and bring up concerns.”

In addition to monthly staff meetings and quarterly heads of department meetings, there were daily handover meetings to discuss important information, and any risks to service delivery. There were processes to support managers and senior staff in meeting their responsibilities. The quality assurance manager told us, “We have good staff retention. The values are discussed at interviews and appraisal. We expect staff to live by our values and discuss these with them during team meeting. We have away days with our staff. We had an HR consultant coming to this, so each group had a space to discuss and agree what it all meant. We ask staff which their favourite value is and we discuss this.”

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 had policies to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to protect staff from discrimination and harassment. The information given to all new staff at the start of their employment provided guidance on their implementation within the home. A staff member told us, “I have no doubt in my work life I am respected. We all are a team and respect each other.”

Staff’s needs were reviewed and reasonable adjustments made as necessary. The registered managers told us, “Appraisals are completed annually. Professional discussions (“job chats”) take place as required. Formal supervision sessions are held quarterly, during which risk assessments are reviewed.The Meath is an accredited Disability Confident Employer. We have an Employee Assistance Programme in place and access to Occupational Health to support risk assessments and reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.”

Staff’s cultural and religious needs were supported. For example, a prayer room had been created recently for staff to use as needed. The quality assurance manager told us, “We are open to anything. If a member of staff came and had specific needs, we would meet these.”

The provider was a non-profit organisation. The nominated individual told us, “Money goes back into resources for people and staff.” They added, “We have provided a mini food bank for some staff who may need this. We also signpost people to local food banks if necessary. This is done discreetly.”

In addition, staff had access to a range of benefits, such as a Christmas bonus, free gym, pension contribution, café, free meals, dental care and bereavement counselling.

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.

Staff at all levels understood their roles and their level of accountability. Managers and support staff worked well together and understood how their duties impacted and supported the other.

Staff, people, relatives and external professionals had confidence in the leadership of the service. A relative told us, “It’s the most wonderful place. I’m not just saying that.”

There were systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service and these were effective. Action was taken when audits identified the need for improvement. There was a team of trustees involved in the service delivery. The nominated individual told us, “They are also there for scrutinising and looking at what is good about the service. They are there to champion best practice and advise on improvements needed.”

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.

Staff told us they worked well with healthcare professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. The registered managers confirmed they had a good working relationship with a range of external professionals. For example, the GP, local care organisations, national organisations, the local authority and commissioning managers.

The provider had systems and processes to ensure people’s needs were reviewed with external professionals. The provider listened to feedback from them and where a need was identified, amended their policies and procedures to promote effective communication and partnership working.

The registered managers told us they ensured the staff learned from healthcare professionals involved in people’s care to help understand people’s needs better. Our conversations with various support staff showed they understood people’s needs and were keen to learn from professional input.

People were encouraged to be involved in projects and in the community. For example, a staff member told us, “Some people go to a local arthouse and are paid to paint. Their paintings are then sold within the local shop. Families also work in the shop.”

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.

People told us they were consulted individually during a review or regular conversation, to find out if they had any concerns or requests. We saw people’s opinions and requests were taken seriously.

Staff told us the registered managers were always aiming to make improvements to the service in order to benefit people, and they enjoyed being part of this. The provider had put in place regular staff forums, to give them a constructive voice.

The registered managers were committed to developing the service to benefit people and the staff team. They had introduced a monthly newsletter which kept everyone informed of news and development within the service. A senior staff member told us, “I think it’s so nice and has improved. We have all worked hard.”