Autism Together - 41 Church Road

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 71 (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 vision and values of the provider were shared within information about the service, such as the service user guide. Staff enjoyed their job. Comments included, “I love it. It is very rewarding; it is a joy most of the time” and “I really like it. I have always worked with good colleagues.” The registered manager felt supported by the provider and could access support whenever they needed.

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. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager and the provider. Staff told us, “[The registered manager] is very nice. They are always around if we need them” and “[The registered manager] is fab. They are so helpful, always responds. One of the best managers in recent years.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Systems were in place to ensure people who spoke up were supported and staff told us they felt confident to raise any concerns with the registered manager. Staff said, “I feel I would be protected if I whistle blew” and “I would have faith about my information being kept confidential.”

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. Policies were in place to support this.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate. For example, the provider had not understood fully the requirements for registering care homes with the local authority so food safety standards could be appropriately monitored. During our assessment some information and documentation was initially difficult to locate. Improvements were needed to the providers record storage system to enable the registered manager to easily access centrally held information about the service.

The registered manager did understand their responsibility for notifying the CQC and other agencies of events which occurred within the service and accurate records were maintained. The registered manager understood regular checks and the provider visited on a regular basis. People who used the service and staff confirmed this. An on-call system was in place so staff could access support and advice from a member of the management team during the evening and at weekends.

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. Information within care plans demonstrated staff effectively worked in partnership with other agencies.

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. Staff received supervision and were able to contribute their views through team meetings. The registered manager used team meetings as an opportunity to reflect on practice and encourage learning. The provider undertook annual surveys with people and families, and the registered manager sought the views of people and family members through annual reviews and direct conversations. Records were maintained of any actions taken in response to feedback they received on a ‘You said, we did’ board. Staff also completed house meetings with people who lived at the service. There was mixed feedback on this. One person told us, I find them quite boring. They ask the same questions.” The registered manager told the person they would review how these were completed.