Lifeways Community Care (Halifax)

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

At our last inspection we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the provider had made significant improvements, and this key question is now rated Outstanding. The provider is no longer in breach of regulation in relation to Good Governance. The service worked to a ‘Choice Framework’ which detailed their values and staff practice demonstrated these values. Staff had confidence in leaders and were supported and encouraged in their roles and further development. Robust systems were in place for the recruitment and development of leaders. Systems were in place to encourage staff to speak up confidently to all members of the management team. The management team demonstrated their inclusivity and commitment to the well-being and development of staff and people. Staff had confidence in leaders. Effective systems were in place to make sure staff’s protected characteristics were respected and they were treated fairly and supported in their roles. Systems were in in place for effective and inclusive quality assurance. We saw a number of examples of how people had benefited from collaborative working with health and social care professionals, and we received positive feedback from a partner agency. Systems were in place for continuous learning both internally and externally.

This service scored 89 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff clearly demonstrated the services values in practice when supporting their people and talking about working well together as a team to give people the best life experience.

They said processes were in place to support speaking up and that it was encouraged. We saw feedback from a staff member who said this had improved hugely since the appointment of the registered manager.

Staff said people were encouraged to raise their own concerns and were comfortable to do this.

Staff could access the Lifeways ‘Outstanding strategy’ on their ‘Workplace’ app. This detailed the providers vision and values for their service and how they intended to meet them.

The service also worked to a ‘Choice Framework’ which detailed their values and how staff, at all levels could achieve them and what actions might be detrimental to achieving them.

The registered manager had been instrumental in driving the process to fully engage staff in understanding, feeling part of, and working in line with the vision and values. People using the service were also included in understanding and working with the vision and values of the service.

Staff told us management at all levels were supportive, approachable and understood their roles and services well. Some fed back that service managers were incredibly busy due to the number of properties they oversaw and so sometimes were not as visible as staff would like, but did respond if questions or concerns were raised.

A member of staff said the registered manager, “has brought back the pride we have and how we can help each other improve. [Name’s] sat with me and gone through the changes and explained why. I feel confident we're doing things for the right reasons, and they'll help us get even better." Another member of staff said, "Our manager's great when needed, you can ask them anything and raise things but they’re really busy and sometimes it takes a little time before they come back to you. Our team leader is great, I can't fault them. They are on it, they know us, the people, the property and anything you need they will sort it. They absolutely lead by example."

The management team demonstrated their inclusivity and commitment to the well-being and development of staff and people. Effective succession planning for all levels of staff was in place. Staff were given developmental opportunities such as attending meetings and training with staff already in the roles they were hoping to achieve.

The service identified talent within the staff team and encouraged this. For example, new roles were being developed to use and develop the skills of overseas staff who had been qualified medical professionals previously.

Staff were supported well with various services available to them such as counselling and legal assistance. To support with staff’s mental wellbeing, Andy’s man club had been invited to do a presentation and drop-in session at the service office for staff and people to attend.

Robust systems were in place for the recruitment and development of leaders.

Staff said they were encouraged to raise any concerns or ideas for improving services and these were listened to. They said whistleblowing policies were in place and concerns could also be raised via the colleague council. Staff were also able to raise individual concerns via supervisions, or at any time with their team leaders and managers.

All staff spoke about the privilege of being able to work with the people they supported and why it was important to speak up if something was wrong.

Systems were in place to encourage staff to speak up confidently. For example, the area manager held 6 weekly meetings for staff new to the service to make sure they understood the importance of speaking up and how to do this. The CEO of the service offered remote breakfast meetings for any staff to attend to raise issues or ask questions. A dedicated phone line was in place for staff to use if they wished to raise a concern anonymously and a colleague council was in place which all staff were invited to. Staff could contact any other staff member including senior leaders through the ‘Workchat’ app on their phones.

Staff told us protected characteristics were discussed at interview and reasonable adjustments put in place as necessary.

We saw feedback from a member of staff who had been supported by the registered manager to access medical services. The registered manager and other members of the team had also supported them in their recovery.

One team leader explained how they had been able to organise rotas directly with their team to ensure fairness.

Staff told us they believed the service cared about its staff and gave examples of support that was provided when dealing with emotionally challenging situations such as supporting a person through end-of-life care.

Effective systems were in place to make sure staff were treated fairly and supported in their roles. The results of a recent staff survey had been shared with a plan of actions in place to make further improvements. Staff were invited to make suggestions and be involved in the plan. As actions had been taken, these had been added to the plan. The service had staff representatives in the provider’s Equality and Diversity council which looked at ensuring all staff have fair treatment and access to the same opportunities. Flexible working was available, and we saw examples of staff accessing this. Workforce well-being was prioritised, and we saw examples of how staff were supported with personal challenges and difficulties.

Staff talked about management structures and the ability to raise concerns with those above them, they were clear about their roles, accountabilities and the checks in place to ensure duties were completed appropriately.

Staff talked positively about the move to an electronic care management system which reduced physical paperwork requirements and allowed for better remote oversight.

Staff at all levels understood their roles and responsibilities and the registered manager fully understood their regulatory responsibilities. Data protection training was mandatory for all staff.

Systems were in in place for effective quality assurance which included area and service managers from across the organisation completing audits on each other’s services. This was to be extended to team leaders also auditing each other’s services. An inspection from an outside company had taken place and an action plan had been developed to address any areas needing improvement.

Workforce planning was in place with 2 weekly meetings in place to discuss any issues.

We saw a number of examples of how people had benefited from collaborative working with health and social care professionals. For example, arranging for people to meet and spend time with healthcare professionals to understand some medical procedures, see the equipment that might be used and ask questions. The registered manager has also arranged for people to meet with dentists to enable people to receive dental services without fear or anxiety.

Staff gave examples of partnership working with local communities to support people to access services. For example, people attending local arts and crafts groups, a SEN night at a local nightclub, barge trips using a local company with wheelchair accessible facilities. They said that activities and experiences were shared via the provider's social media as examples that other services may wish to access.

The local authority told us the registered manager responded to requests for information promptly and that they had received feedback that the registered manager had a positive relationship with the service managers. They also told us progress on action plans had been pro-active since the appointment of the registered manager.

The registered manager worked collaboratively with a range of partners and services. This included the local authority, adult learning services, health promotion teams and organisations, hospice services and the learning disability nurse.

Staff said that learning from accidents and incidents was shared between staff who regularly worked with people, in team meetings and supervisions. They said ideas and feedback from activities undertaken with people was shared through the provider's private social media. A staff member said, "If we'd tried something new we'll share it on the ‘Workplace portal’, we can borrow ideas like that. If there's something I think might interest somebody, I'll ask them and see if they'd like to try it."

Systems were in place for continuous learning both internally and externally.

The registered manager told us how benchmarking against other services, being an active part of the registered managers network, local care associations and membership of the Institute of Health and Social Care Management allowed them to participate in research and be up to date with changes and innovations in best practice.