Gowlands

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

Leaders and staff had a shared vision which placed people at the centre of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and felt consulted and involved in making decisions. Staff spoke positively about the improvements the registered manager had made since coming into post and told us there was a positive culture in the service.

However, the provider had not always effectively engaged with people’s relatives to seek feedback or involve them in discussions about the service. The provider did not have robust processes in place to demonstrate how they were communicating with people and their relatives to ensure their views were included in shaping the direction of the service.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and the organisation.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The registered manager led by example and worked alongside staff to provide support. One member of staff told us, “There’s times when I’ve said I’m a bit stuck and [registered manager] has helped and guided.” Another member of staff said, “[Registered manager] asks staff for their views, involves staff and asks for their feedback. They are a visible manager, who doesn’t hide away.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak up and their voices would be heard. Staff told us they were encouraged to express their views and talk to the management team about any queries or concerns. Staff said they had information and guidance about speaking up and whistleblowing which they could access if required.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce and promoted equality and equity for the staff who worked for them. The provider had policies in place to ensure equality in their recruitment and training opportunities. Reasonable adjustments were in place where appropriate and staff told us they were able to request any additional support they required to fulfil their role.

The provider did not have effective governance processes in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. Concerns were not always promptly identified and addressed. Management audits, action plans, and oversight tools were not always up to date or detailed.

During the inspection, we identified concerns with the provider’s oversight and management of incidents and risks to people’s health and safety. We found concerns with the provider’s processes for communicating with people and their relatives and their oversight of the quality of people’s care planning documentation. We also identified a lack of robust oversight in relation to staff training and recruitment processes.

The service had undergone a period of transition in the 12 months prior to the inspection with a new registered manager coming into post and a number of changes in staffing. The registered manager told us they had prioritised certain areas of the service when coming into post and evidenced the positive effect this had made. The provider confirmed governance systems were being reviewed, and more robust systems would be embedded. However, at the time of the inspection these were not yet implemented.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership with other health and social care professionals to meet people’s care and support needs. We received positive feedback from health professionals who worked regularly with the service. Comments included, “I have observed staff and how they engage and interact with the guests as positive, and person centred”, “Any feedback I have for the registered manager, we discuss and there is an action plan put in place”, “[Registered manager] is very receptive and interested in getting it right”, “I received a professional welcome” and “Staff were friendly.”

The provider demonstrated a clear commitment to learning, making improvements and developing the service. Staff were encouraged to think creatively about how to improve people’s experience of short stay care and any learning was shared across the wider organisation to promote good working practices. Where concerns were identified during the inspection, the provider was open in acknowledging shortfalls and prompt to evidence what steps they were taking to review and amend their processes to drive improvements in the service.