St David's House

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 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 providers Statement of Purpose clearly outlined the service’s philosophy and aims, “To support people to maintain independence, dignity and quality of life within their own homes whilst ensuring care is delivered safely, respectfully and in accordance with regulatory requirements.” The registered manager, team leaders and staff were committed to providing the best care. A relative said, “I would recommend St David's House, most certainly would recommend.” A staff member told us how they would recommend working at St Davids House and would recommend to a loved one if they were in a situation where they needed care and support. They said, “In my experience, the staff team consistently prioritises empathy, wellbeing, and individual needs which is paramount.”

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. People and relatives were complimentary about the leadership of the service. The registered manager had the right knowledge, skills and experience to lead the team. One staff member said, “Since [registered manager name] has been in post it’s the best it’s ever been.” Another staff member told us, “[Registered manager name] is great. I have no concerns, [registered manager] is really supportive with me. Any queries or concerns their door is always open, can talk to [registered manager], even when not in work can contact them. [Registered manager] is great.” A further staff member said, “Since [registered manager name] been here it’s been a lot better.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People told us they were happy to speak with staff, team leaders and the registered manager to address any concerns. Staff told us they would feel comfortable raising concerns; they knew how to speak up and had confidence they would be listened to and supported. There was a freedom to speak up and whistleblowing policy and procedure in place. These policies provided clear guidance for staff on how to raise concerns without the fear of harassment or victimisation and details how staff can report concerns externally if they felt unable to raise internally.

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 were processes in place to ensure staff were treated fairly and equally and their rights were upheld. For example, there was an equal opportunity policy in place to protect staff from discrimination, harassment and victimisation and a focus on protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The provider had an ‘Equality Strategy 2022-2026’ which stated, “Redditch Borough Council is committed to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promoting equal opportunities and fostering good relations between people from all communities.” The strategy outlined the equality objectives, ‘Ensure we deliver inclusive and responsive services,’ ‘Engage and communicate with the community in appropriate and accessible ways,’ ‘Understand our communities and celebrate and respect diversity,’ ‘Develop and support a diverse workforce,’ and actions they will take to deliver these objectives. Staff told us they felt respected and valued at work. One staff member said, “Changes brought on by the registered manager are really good and supportive.”

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. There were effective quality assurance systems. These included monthly checks and audits of people’s plans of care, medicine records, falls and incidents and accidents and quarterly and annual audits and checks such as staff supervision review and training compliance. Records showed where concerns had been identified, required action had been taken appropriately and promptly to drive through improvements in people’s care. The registered manager was supported by team leaders to help manage the service. They supported and supervised staff. They carried out audits, spot checks and observations on staff performance and practice to ensure they continued to provide safe, high quality and compassionate care in line with the provider’s values.

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. People were encouraged to maintain relationships with those important to them and engage in activities which were meaningful and improved their quality of life. There were strong links within the local community. For example, weekly visits from the local school and from the local College. These sessions were led by the people living at the service who collectively discuss and decide what they wanted to do. During our visit a quiz was taking place which had been devised by one of the residents. The registered manager spoke highly of their working relationship with partners such as the local authority. They told us how they had been very supportive and how they had worked collaboratively to achieve improvements.

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. The registered manager attended forums and care shows to learn and share good practice. They also encourage team leaders to attend to expand their knowledge and understanding of care beyond day-to-day routines and tasks. Action plans from audits and monitoring checks included realistic deadlines and individuals responsible for implementing changes.