The Bungalow

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 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 organisation’s vision and values were clearly reflected in the staff, team leaders and managers we spoke with. They described how the service was founded by families who wanted to create a place where autistic adults could live and thrive, demonstrating these founding values remained embedded in the culture and informed current practice.
 

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.
Although recently appointed to the position, the registered manager had a clear understanding of their role and main priorities. They were experienced and knew people well due to having worked at the home previously. Staff commented on the registered manager being available and approachable and was making progress on things that were important to people’s everyday lives, such as improved décor, referrals for healthcare treatment and more regular meetings between staff and people.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt they could raise concerns with the registered manager if needed and they would be resolved. The provider had policies for managing whistleblowing concerns.

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.
Staff were trained in equality and diversity. They told us they felt supported by team leaders and the registered manager. The registered manager told us they gave all staff opportunities to develop their skills, and some had been internally promoted. The registered manager was given time to attend additional training to support development within their role, and to attend registered manager networks meetings.
 

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 registered manager used a toolkit which contained a range of auditing tools to continually monitor the overall performance of the service. This was reviewed by senior managers within the organisation, who completed audits when visiting the service periodically. Team meetings were held monthly for information sharing and to give staff opportunity to raise concerns or share practice. The registered manager told us email communication was used between staff for information sharing. The registered manager was aware of how to share concerns with the local authority and with the Care Quality Commission. The local authority quality improvement team shared, they felt the manager was consistently responsive and engaged appropriately with requirements.
 

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.
There was a collaborative working approach between the staff team and registered manager, and information was shared with external professionals where required to support effective and joined up care and support for people.
 

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.
Quality assurance processes and systems were effective in identifying areas for improvement. The registered manager had a clear action plan to improve areas within the building, care records and the quality of care provided. These actions were ongoing and planned in collaboration with the provider.