Wharfedale House - Care Home Physical Disabilities

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 service 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 service had clear aims and values as evidenced in their statement of purpose which had been adapted for people using the service. Staff and leaders shared the same values and aims for the service. These values were displayed by leaders when having regular open discussions with staff about ongoing changes to people needs. Staff told us leaders displayed an open-door policy where they could openly discuss ideas for improvement. There was a positive culture of promoting independence and treating people as individuals. One staff member told us the vision of the service was to have, “Continuous quality of care.”

The service 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.

Staff spoke highly of the leaders within the service, describing them as approachable and said they would deal swiftly and appropriately with any concerns raised. Staff and people felt listened to by leaders and had confidence in them. One person told us, “I think it [the service] is well managed here, yes. I can always speak to [leaders] if I am ever unhappy with anything but have never had anything to complain about.” Leaders within the service had robust quality assurance and oversight of the staff team. Leaders carried out daily walkarounds, audits and spot checks to ensure continuous service improvement.

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

Staff were aware of whistleblowing policies and how to report concerns. Staff felt able to approach leaders with any concerns they had and had confidence in their ability to manage these concerns. Daily and team meetings were attended by staff and staff told us their views were sought and listened to. Staff surveys were completed and results and concerns discussed with staff in staff meetings.There was accessible information available for people in the service to speak up.

The service 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 told us leaders would take into consideration any personal adjustments that would be required for them. Leaders supported individuals to return to or remain in work and provided reasonable adjustments based on their individual circumstances. Staff were supported with their wellbeing within the service. The service promoted a diverse range of staff.

The service 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.

There were robust audit processes in place to support with ongoing accountability, governance and overall improvement of the service. There was a lessons learned log which was regularly completed and actions identified for avoiding further reoccurrences. For example, with falls or accidents. There were robust oversight and quality improvement processes in place to drive improvements, manage and delivery quality care and treatment for people. Leaders within the service up feedback to provider level about their concerns around restrictions of internet usage.

The service 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.

We received positive feedback from professionals supporting the service. Staff and leaders were described as proactive and actively promoted independence for people. The service had formed good working relationships with external agencies such as the local authority, GP and advocacy services.

The service 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.

Leaders within the service met with staff to discuss any lessons learned on a regular basis, this was documented on quality oversight documentation. Leaders spoke with staff during daily meetings, team meetings and supervisions as to how to improve the service. Staff felt able to provide any ideas for improvement to leaders within the service and felt their opinions would be heard and actioned. Leaders within the service provided evidence of continuous innovation. For example, by reviewing food orders and looking at the most person centred and cost-effective ways of managing this and discussing this at a provider level.