Beech Lodge - Mablethorpe

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, human rights, diversity and inclusion. Staff understood the needs of people and their communities and worked in a way that supported these values. Team meetings and supervision reinforced these values so everyone understood the expectations. Staff modelled positive behaviours and supported people in ways that reflected the provider’s aims. This helped create a consistent culture that people recognised and felt part of.

There was a positive and open culture in the service. Equality and diversity were supported and people felt welcome. The atmosphere was friendly, relaxed and fun. It was clear people saw the service as their home and were comfortable being themselves.

Leaders at all levels were inclusive and understood the context in which they delivered care and support. They reflected the values of the service and had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to lead well. Leaders acted with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager supported staff by being available, approachable and understanding when personal issues affected their work. Staff said they could speak openly with the registered manager and felt listened to. Leaders provided guidance, supervision and regular check-ins so staff felt confident in their roles. They promoted a positive culture where staff were encouraged to ask for help, share ideas and work as a team.

Relatives had no concerns about how the service was managed. They felt the leadership team was approachable and effective.

The provider created a positive culture where people felt able to speak up and knew their voice would be heard. Staff said they felt listened to and were confident the provider would act on anything they raised. Staff were aware of the whistle blower policy and process and told us management was approachable and flexible when concerns or suggestions were shared. Staff also described an open environment where there was no fear of blame. They said they could raise worries early which helped prevent problems from escalating. Regular meetings and day to day conversations gave staff further opportunities to speak openly.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They promoted an inclusive and fair culture and supported equality and equity for all staff.

Staff were treated as individuals and their backgrounds, beliefs and identities were respected. The provider worked to make sure everyone had equal access to opportunities, support and development. Leaders encouraged open conversations about inclusion so staff felt able to share their views and experiences. This approach helped create a workplace where people felt valued and able to contribute fully to the service.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. Governance was strong and supported the delivery of good quality, sustainable care. Leaders used information about risk, performance and outcomes to guide decisions and shared this securely when needed.

Staff understood their roles well. They knew what was expected of them and how their work contributed to the running of the service.

There were good governance systems in place. These included regular audits, quality checks and reviews of incidents, accidents and safeguarding records. Care plans and daily notes were reviewed to make sure information stayed accurate. Staff supervision, team meetings and training records also helped leaders track performance and identify learning needs.

Electronic systems and paper-based tools were used to store information securely and allowed managers to check the service both onsite and remotely. These tools helped leaders spot patterns, plan improvements and take action quickly when needed.

The provider understood their duty to work in partnership so services worked smoothly for people. They shared information and learning with other professionals and worked together to improve care.

There was clear evidence of positive partnership working with external professionals. Referrals were made when needed and professionals gave positive feedback about how the staff team worked with them. One professional told us, “From experience dealing with this service provider, we continue to have a good working relationship. We find the home to be engaging and responsive when it comes to [people’s] care. In the past if any issues have arisen, [staff] have sought advice and guidance and have been very proactive in bringing [people] for any health checks. On the whole we feel that they are quite proactive and always seek support when needed and are willing to engage with us.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, improvement. The provider shared learning across services to support equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life. However, the provider did not always encourage staff to understand how guidance impacted their work. This meant staff knowledge was not always fully up to date with current best practice and statutory guidance.

Staff were encouraged to complete their NVQ and to reflect on new ways of working. This supported ongoing learning and improvement across the service. Staff understood their roles and naturally promoted principles of best practice, but their knowledge of some supporting guidance was mixed. Not all staff knew about some statutory or best practice guidance such as right support right care right culture, LeDeR or the NHS England initiative STOMP.

The provider offered online and in person training, including training on supporting autistic people and people with a learning disability. They did not yet have a plan in place for tier 2 of the Oliver McGowan framework. The Oliver McGowan framework is the national training approach that makes sure all health and social care staff receive the right level of learning disability and autism training for their role to improve safety and reduce health inequalities. Tier 2 of the Oliver McGowan framework is a one day, face to face training for staff who provide direct care or support, giving them more detailed learning on autism and learning disability and co delivered with people with lived experience.