Stag Support Services

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. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 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.

The provider’s vision for the service ‘Support, Trust, Achieve and Grow’ was known and understood by staff and underpinned its ethos. The nominated individual’s ambition was to provide a bespoke service to each young person they supported. A staff member told us, “I feel like Stag Support is an excellent company. The care we provide is second to none and it’s amazing to see how many people we are supporting rebuild their positivity and grow in stature.”

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.

Both the nominated individual and registered manager were highly knowledgeable and experienced and were passionate about sharing this with their staff team. They led by example in encouraging staff to be open and honest. They valued the opinion of staff across all aspects of the service. A staff member told us, “[Managers] will email me (saying) ‘let me know what you’re thinking, what could be better’. They very much want to know their [staff]. We’ve got a wealth of knowledge and [registered manager] will always listen to that.”

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

The registered manager had an ‘open door’ policy. Staff were supported and encouraged to speak up. The provider tracked and shared feedback from staff, being clear about what actions they had taken when staff had raised suggestions. For example, staff had suggested they each have a non-contact day to enable them to speak with colleagues and managers, and this had been implemented with great success.

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 a diverse staff team, which supported the needs of the young people receiving care. The service had policies in place to ensure staff were treated fairly and without bias.

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.

The registered manager and senior managers at the service had defined roles and responsibilities to ensure appropriate checks and audits took place. These were effective in ensuing young people received safe care and any incidents or concerns, however minor, were reviewed thoroughly.

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.

The provider worked in close partnership with a variety of partner organisations. Staff ensured young people had good and regular access to local communities.

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.

A staff member told us, “We’re always looking to improve (the care for young people), we know it’s a work in progress. We ask ‘what more could be done’ to give them (young people) a different way of life. It’s so rewarding.”