Creative Support - Morecambe Service

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 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.

Leaders worked with people, their representatives and staff to build a culture that focuses on enabling people to enjoy their lives. The registered manager told us, “As a service, we want to continue to support people to have meaningful and fulfilling lives, that they are safe and participating. We have a strong emphasis on relationship building.” One staff member told us, “I have thought about leaving to increase my pay but I never do because we are looked after and the people we support are well cared for. I love my job and never dread coming to work.”

Managers and leaders lead by example and monitor practice against the service’s values. There was a monthly awards initiative for staff which recognised when they had delivered excellent care and support.

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.

Leaders at every level were visible and available. They led by example, modelling inclusive behaviours, open and cooperative relationships. One staff member told us, “We see management daily. I can see [the registered manager] when I go to the office. [Member of the management team] comes weekly to see that people are happy, that they are happy with staff. They also take an interest in our wellbeing.” Another staff member told us, “The company have been brilliant with dealing with wellbeing issues. When [person] became unwell, [registered manager] came specifically to the house to see how they were and to oversee things. They thanked staff and we felt very supported at this time. A member of the management team told us, “I manage the team the way I like to be managed and focus on reflective discussion to build their confidence and help them to develop empathy.”

One professional visiting the service told us, “As part of my involvement, I have been liaising with the service director, and they are extremely responsive and very supportive to service users (people who used the service) and staff.”

Leaders had regular and ongoing support and access to ongoing development. The registered manager told us, “Managers complete leadership qualifications. We are looking at training up leaders so they can train staff. We organise get-togethers when things get difficult and host social lunches. We also have social inclusion champions in each house.”

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

The service had a whistleblowing policy which staff understood. Staff felt able to report concerns in one-to-one meetings and the registered manager had an open-door policy. One staff member told us, “If I raised concerns and did not get feedback from the [registered manager], I would raise it with [the operations manager] and if I still had no response, I would use the whistleblowing contact number.”

There were ‘Code Red’ posters displayed in people’s homes and in the office which had contact details and information about how to report concerns or whistle blow about practice anonymously. There was a feedback box in the office where staff could give feedback anonymously.

The service gave incentives for staff to complete surveys about the quality-of-care people received. The results of these were acted on and used to drive improvements in people’s care and staff wellbeing.”

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.

The registered manager told us, “Our workforce has changed a lot and is more diverse and we are always respectful of individual characteristics. We try to accommodate as much as possible staff having time off to participate in their religion. We support staff from overseas to adapt to UK customs where needed.”

Governance systems in place to ensure safe and effective practice were not always effective.

Medicines audits had not identified issues with people’s medicines care plans, medicines administration records, ‘as required’ medicines outcomes not being recorded, and issues with rescue medicines records.

Care plan audits did not always identify when some care plans had not been reviewed in line with the service’s policy to review them annually or when there were changes in people’s care; or where there was outdated or conflicting information.

Infection control audits had not identified when fridge and freezer temperatures were outside of the safe range and therefore did not lead to the service remedying this at the time.

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.

Staff told us about how they felt they were part of positive teams working to provide good support for people. One staff member told us, “The staff and the teamwork here is amazing. We have all had to pull together and work differently as [person’s] needs have changed, but we have managed it and they are getting the best support they can here.”

The service attended manager forums and learning disability forums as part of local networks.

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.

Staff were consistently encouraged to contribute to improvement and innovation initiatives. For example, the service was developing resources, including an audio recording, which describes behaviours people might exhibit when they cannot communicate verbally, so staff could respond to their needs more effectively. The audio had been shared with all team leaders and in staff meetings.

The service held regular senior managers and registered manager conferences. At a recent registered manager conference, the service discussed how the service was performing in line with CQC regulations and requirements.

The service employed service user quality checkers who carried out periodic checks within the supported living homes. They also operated a service users’ forum ‘Creative Voices’ where service user representatives had their say about broader issues affecting them.