Stride East

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.

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.

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. Staff spoke positively about working at the service and although the deputy manager was new to their post, staff reflected the positive impact they were having in creating greater structure and stability. The deputy manager and senior team leader lead by example, demonstrating an open, positive culture within the service, promoting a focus on reablement. Staff told us how they all worked together to improve the service while a consistent leadership team developed.

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. Staff spoke positively about the deputy manager and described improvements they had seen in the service. The deputy manager was keen to progress in the role; they were knowledgeable in supporting people with mental health concerns and lead with compassion. The deputy manager told us, “It melts my heart when you see everyone so happy and settled.”

However, the service lacked a consistent leader, as there had been no registered manager in post for a considerable length of time. The provider had identified the need for a stable management structure and recognised that ongoing leadership support was required within the service, however recruitment was still ongoing. Whilst the deputy manager had begun transitioning into a leadership role and was having a positive impact on the culture and day-to-day operations. They remained in a period of development and were continuing to build knowledge of regulatory compliance and governance responsibilities. Support was being provided by the wider provider team whilst this happened, and a registered manager was recruited. Therefore, more time was needed to fully embed a consistent robust leadership figure within the service and meet the legal requirements under the health and social care act.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt supported within their roles and were able to discuss issues through regular handovers and team meetings. A suggestion box was available within the service for people, relatives and visitors to provide feedback, and systems were in place to manage complaints.

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. The provider promoted an inclusive culture where staff felt respected, supported and able to carry out their roles effectively.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability in place for the service; however, we found that some governance systems required improvement to be fully effective. The provider had systems in place to maintain oversight of the quality and safety of the service. Accidents and incidents were monitored and analysed for trends, and a range of audits were completed. Medicines audits were undertaken regularly, with action plans developed where improvements were identified.

However, governance arrangements were not yet consistently effective across all areas of the service. Some audits did not identify gaps that we found during the assessment, including missing risk assessments and omissions within care planning documentation. Care plan and daily note audits would benefit from clearer guidance to help staff consistently identify gaps in recording and risk management. In some instances, records had been assessed through the provider's audit processes as meeting expected standards, although our assessment identified areas where further information or documentation was required.

There was no evidence that these shortfalls had resulted in harm to people.The provider had already recognised that some aspects of care recording required improvement and had begun taking action. Further work and time were needed to embed these improvements and strenghten the consistency of governance arrangements, so leaders could be assured they had reliable oversight of the quality and safety of the service.

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. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's needs and there were systems to support people when accessing other services. For example, the team recognised the value of hospital passports to support people when transferring between services and healthcare settings. The service sought feedback from people, visitors and others through complaints processes, compliments monitoring and suggestion boxes. The team also worked with members of the wider provider organisation to support ongoing service development and management oversight during a period of leadership transition.

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. The provider had systems in place to review quality, analyse incidents and identify opportunities for improvement. The management team completed audits covering a range of areas and there was evidence of lessons learned being discussed within team meetings. Meetings showed service improvements and development needs were recognised and discussed with staff. The service demonstrated a willingness to learn and improve. During the assessment, the management team responded to feedback and had plans in place to strengthen oversight and governance arrangements. The provider continued to invest in the service with ongoing improvements in the environment and investments into new technologies, such as an updated electronic care planning system.