Style Acre

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent and there was further time required to embed the culture in the service.

This service scored 61 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Whilst the majority of feedback we received from people, their relatives, staff and partners in relation to the culture and direction of the service was positive, several commented concerns had not always been addressed consistently. The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture which was improving following the recent changes in the leadership team. 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.

The recently appointed interim operations director, who was the registered manager of the service, understood people’s needs and told us they would address the areas of concern. The recently appointed interim operations director understood the challenges faced by the service to improve the culture, took people’s feedback seriously, investigated concerns and set an example for staff to follow. However, there was further time required to fully embed the values consistently across the service.

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 generally had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. However, we identified that not all leaders had been consistently knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services. Staff commented on the positive changes since the new leadership team was in place and felt confident that they had the skills, knowledge and credibility to lead effectively. Further time was required to fully embed the culture within the service.

The provider aimed to foster a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. However, several staff told us they had raised concerns and did not always feel able to challenge previous leaders. They told us that this was improving and they now felt that their voices would be heard.

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. Leaders worked continually to review and improve the culture in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion. Leaders took action to improve the experience of staff with protected characteristics. For example, the service had an accessible recruitment process and provided applicants with information in a format that worked for them. The service had equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) champions who championed people’s rights, and the provider had completed a gender pay gap report. The provider worked with external specialist organisations to deliver EDI training to staff and we saw that staff had completed relevant training. Staff told us they were treated fairly and recognised the signs of discrimination and bullying.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

We identified areas of improvement in relation to consistently reporting unexplained bruising, ensuring people’s care plans were always followed, and that specific training for rare health conditions was consistently provided to staff. The registered manager acknowledged this, addressed the concerns by sharing them with the relevant agencies and implemented systems to ensure the required improvements were made and sustained.

Feedback from partners in relation to the leadership of the service was mainly positive with professionals commenting on the positive outcomes people had experienced.

However, not all feedback received was consistently positive, with some partners commenting that the leadership in individual supported living services varied. Whilst the provider’s oversight of the services had not always been consistent, the new leadership team worked transparently to address these areas.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. The new leadership team recognised that there had been shortfalls previously and they aimed to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

The provider generally worked well with external partners to contribute to external reviews and took a lead with projects which aimed to improve people’s lives. For example, the provider worked with a local university to launch an accessible recipe book designed to help people with a learning disability and/or autistic people to improve their cooking skills and learn about healthy eating. This resulted in the academic institution being awarded following the work with Style Acre.

The provider worked innovatively with external organisations to promote people’s physical and psychological wellbeing. This included a variety of different ways, such as staff collaborating with local artists, hosting inclusive community events and engaging people in sustainability projects. People were involved in the projects and directed these with the support of staff.

The provider applied for funding and used this to improve people’s lives. We saw that the provider had participated in several initiatives to apply for external funding and grants. In another instance, they were able to purchase additional sensory, play and communication equipment with the funds generated, with the long-term goal of improving people’s health.