George Beal House

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.

The management and staff team demonstrated an open, honest and transparent culture, and all staff were confident their voices would be heard. There were robust governance arrangements and staff understood their role and responsibilities. The management and staff teams worked in partnership with key organisations to support people's care provision. There were processes in place to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and best practice guidance was sought and shared.

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.We found that staff were motivated and proud of the service and support they provided. One staff member told us, “This is a great place to work. Communication is very good. We are always kept informed, so we always know what’s going on and are made aware of any changes to the service.” Staff said there was very good team working and everyone worked to the same goal, to ensure people's respite experience was a positive one.

Records confirmed there were regular staff meetings, supervisions and effective ongoing communication where ideas, future plans and feedback was shared with staff.

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. Staff shared a consistent and positive view about the management team. One staff member told us, “I would like to give the managers a bow. They try their best to give George Beal a smooth sail.” Another member of staff commented, “I feel very well looked after and supported by the managers. They are always available to talk to and I feel comfortable approaching them with anything I am concerned about.”

The provider was committed to continually motivating the staff team and recognising their dedication to their role and took effective action to ensure there was equality and inclusion across the workforce. The management team had undertaken unconscious bias training to ensure that recruitment was fair and non-bias. There was a diverse range of skills and staff were encouraged to have the opportunity to expand their skills by undertaking qualifications such as NVQ qualifications in care.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.Staff members knew the relevant policies and procedures which directed their work including safeguarding and whistle-blowing. Where feedback was sought, this was analysed for patterns or trends and enabled lessons to be learned and action taken to prevent recurrences. There was training available, to enable staff to understand their duty of care to the people they cared for. Staff were given information about how concerns could be raised, including escalating these to external agencies if necessary.

There were processes in place to enable staff to speak up and raise any concerns with managers and external organisations. There were various systems for capturing staff feedback and suggestions for example, staff meetings, supervisions and surveys.

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. There was an inclusive workforce, and staff were treated and supported as individuals. For example, staff were supported in terms of rota changes for cultural and religious festivals. The notice board in the staff-room had information regarding different networking groups at Bedford Borough Council such as: African, Caribbean and Asian Employee Network, the LGBTQA+ network and the Menopause Support Group. Records confirmed that staff completed equality and diversity training and more specific training such as Transgender Awareness and LGBT+ Inclusion training.

The provider was committed to ensuring there was equality and inclusion across the workforce. The provider had a workforce app that had an employee assist program, medical advice through an on-demand GP, access to counselling services, interactive groups and discounts from various retailers. There were policies and procedures in place in relation to menopause and making reasonable adjustments for staff who may require it. We saw from the minutes of the staff meetings that staff were fully informed of what was happening in the service and any incidents were shared for lessons learnt. The organisation recognised success within the service and people's and staff's achievements were celebrated. Positive feedback was always relayed back to staff either face to face, or by emails, in team meetings and was shared with the staff team. There were award presentations for staff completing qualifications such as NVQs. There was a good news board in the entrance area where survey results and positive feedback was shared.

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. Staff and people’s relatives felt the service was well managed and there was good oversight.

The provider had a system of checks in place to monitor the quality of the service. This included regular internal audits in areas such as accidents and incidents, risk management plans, staff training, staff supervision, reviews of people's goals and required support plans. Actions plans were put in place to address any areas that needed further improvements. Risk assessments addressed people's diverse needs and risk management plans were proportionate and centred around the needs of the person. They were regularly reviewed with other health care professionals, and they took note of equality and human rights legislation.

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 were processes in place to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and best practice guidance was sought and shared. There was a focus and importance placed on ensuring staff had the skills to do their jobs well with opportunities for continued learning and development linked to the needs of people. Supervisions and team meetings were used to openly discuss training needs and further training would be accessed if staff felt they needed it, which in turn better supported safe and effective practice.

Feedback from healthcare professionals indicated the staff and leaders at the service were quick to engage with external health services to promote the wellbeing of the people using the service during their respite stay.

Records confirmed that staff supported people to access a range of services and had effective systems of communication with healthcare teams.

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.Staff told us learning from concerns and incidents was a key contributor to continuous improvement and meant the service continued to change and adapt the support provided and reduce the risk of further reoccurrence. One staff member told us, “Incidents and concerns are shared with the staff so we can always make sure we improve the care we give to people.”

There were processes in place to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and best practice guidance was sought and shared. There was a focus and importance placed on ensuring staff had the skills to do their jobs well with opportunities for continued learning and development linked to the needs of people. Supervisions and team meetings were used to openly discuss training needs and further training would be accessed if staff felt they needed it, which in turn better supported safe and effective practice.