Wilton 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 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 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 registered manager, staff and the quality and compliance manager, visiting at the time of our inspection visit, were consistently open and honest. The provider’s values fostered a culture on promoting people’s rights and helping them lead a fulfilled life. Regular discussions with staff through meetings, supervisions and day to day observations ensured staff understood the values and direction the provider set out.

The registered manager and staff were committed, supported by a clear strategy and auditing processes that ensured the care provided was in the least restrictive way possible for different 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 had a registered manager. They understood their responsibilities and kept up to date with relevant changes. They notified CQC as required by law and applied Duty of Candour when it was needed and conducted their work with openness and integrity. The registered manager told us they had access to support and guidance from leaders.

There was a clear management structure, and staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager ensured information was shared with staff promptly in relation to any changes to processes or legislation.

People were confident to speak with the registered manager. One person said, “[Registered manager name] good and is here every day.” A relative said, [Registered manager] has been brilliant at supporting [Person name] they trust her and knows she's there to support them 100%.” Relatives were confident to speak to the registered manager or the senior support staff as needed.

The feedback from local authority with responsibility to monitor the care for the people they had responsibility for, was positive in relation to the registered manager.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were observed communicating effectively with each other and people, throughout the inspection visit. Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and receptive to concerns and ideas about people’s support and the service. Staff felt able to talk the senior management if they wanted to.

Staff knew what whistleblowing was and how to raise any concerns anonymously, if they wanted to. Staff told us they were encouraged share ideas and ways to improve the service. They knew they could access confidential employee assistance helpline at any time.

People told us they were confident to speak up and felt they were listened to. One person said, “I can speak with my key worker [Staff name] if I've got any concerns. I have said in the past when things haven't been right for me, and it's been sorted.”

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 and procedures in place for inclusive and fair culture, upholding the principles of equality and diversity. The provider was aware of their duty as an employer, to understand and respect the protected characteristics of staff and to prevent discrimination.

Staff provided positive feedback about their experiences working for the provider. They felt respected and had not experienced discrimination. A staff member told us, and “I don’t have any concern. I feel I am treated fairly and haven’t seen other staff being treated unfairly.”

Staff felt valued and supported. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and supporting people at Wilton House. Staff described the training, support and feedback on performance being positive and felt they had equal opportunities for career progression.

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 robust systems in place which ensured good oversight of the service and the quality of care and safety. A range of audits and checks conducted regularly, enabled the registered manager and senior management team to identify areas to improve. These included audits completed on medicines, infection control, health and safety people’s finance and care records. Where any shortfalls were found, records showed action was taken promptly.

The provider’s quality and compliance audits provided a further oversight, and focused on risks indicators, such as concerns, incidents and safeguarding reviews. Review of people’s care and feedback sought from people and staff also contributed to the oversight. Areas for improvement were incorporated into the provider’s improvement plans to drive improvement and deliver high quality care and sustainable support.

Systems were in place to ensure staff remained safe and suitable to care for vulnerable people. This included training, supervision and feedback on their performance.

There was a robust emergency business continuity plan and systems in relation to reporting and managing incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns.

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 registered manager and staff worked collaboratively with external health and social care professionals such as GPs, healthcare professionals learning disability teams. Staff had developed links with local amenities such as the barber and clubs to promote people’s safety, wellbeing and quality of life. People’s care records showed appropriate and timely referrals had been made for specialist support and advice. Some people shared how their lives had transformed and were living their best lives.

The latest local authority quality monitoring visit report was positive. The registered manager confirmed recommendations made had been acted on. This demonstrated a responsive and collaborative approach care.

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.

Processes were in place to learn and review when things went wrong. Staff and leaders discussed incidents together and reviewed where care practices could be improved or where changes in people’s support were needed.

The registered manager, staff and people share examples of how people’s lives had been transformed a result of person-led support and plans to enable people to achieve their goals.

The registered manager told us they had good support across the organisation and benefited from mentoring and leadership training and support. The provider was affiliated to nationally recognised organisations supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people. The provider ensured information, guidance and learning was shared with staff at Wilton House.