Sackville Gardens

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 79 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider’s core values, including inspiring change, empowering people and working collaboratively were at the centre of the support they provided. Staff fully embraced these, and it was evident that they ran through day-to-day practices at the home. The organisational culture was one of promoting exceptionally person-centred care to ensure people could have a life well lived, regain confidence and move towards their goals quickly. Staff understood this philosophy and spoke proudly of the work they did and outcomes they helped people achieve. One staff member told us, “I love working here. You really get the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives. Something which I take great pride in. We have a good connection with each other and communicate well. There’s a strong team spirit and our opinions matter.” Another added, “We’re always learning, there something for everyone, no matter what the level. [Deputy manager] offers lots of reassurance. [Staff] are never afraid to ask questions, management stress to us the importance of working openly, and that’s how we develop.”

The service had a strong focus on how they could enable people to be fully involved in life as part of their home. People told us they felt respected, and their opinions mattered when it came to the running and shaping of the service. The management team were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, and helped staff develop in their roles. The provider had developed awards for staff to work towards including a ‘green office award’, encouraging staff to practice environmentally friendly. There had also been staff conferences where ideas could be shared, encouraging inclusiveness and empowering staff to improve. Staff were supported to undertake leadership courses to promote transparency and an excellent understanding of staff, people and the wider community. For example, one staff member had completed an emerging leaders’ program. This focused on using action learning sets to influence staff to drive organisational success. Critical thinking and problem solving was applied to real life situations to improve understanding and limit inequalities.

Management often facilitated peer support groups with action learning sets to encouraging listening and sharing of ideas, addressing work challenges and offering periods of reflection for staff. This enabled a safe environment for staff to find solutions to difficult challenges in a non-judgmental space. This significantly transferred to their day-to-day role and promoted the rights of the people they supported.

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.

There was a strong leadership team in place who were consistently praised by staff, people and external professionals. Everyone spoke positively about the registered manager describing them as someone who was approachable and listened well. Staff were also supported by a deputy manager who they told us kept them motivated to provide excellent care. One staff member told us, “I think it's great here. The management is great. [Deputy manager] is fab. I feel really valued.”

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

All staff told us that they wouldn’t hesitate to speak with the management team should they have any concerns. One staff member said, “We work together as a team. Yes, there is a hierarchy, but it never really feels like that. The [management team] are approachable and I would not hesitate to speak to them if I need to.” The provider had a robust whistleblowing policy in place and whilst staff told us they had never needed to use it, they demonstrated a good knowledge of its content.

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.

Practices throughout the home were designed to ensure fair access and representation across all roles, regardless of background or identity. Staff spoke positively about working in an environment where differences were not only respected but celebrated.The management team demonstrated a clear and proactive commitment to supporting both people and staff with differing needs. Where needed, adjustments had been made without judgement to promote a positive culture.Staff told us they felt supported in relation to their needs and identities, with the management team, and organisation, demonstrating genuine sensitivity and responsiveness to people’s backgrounds and beliefs.

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 deputy manager demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment to delivering high-quality social care that was person-centred, inclusive, and responsive to individual needs. Quality assurance processes were well embedded across the service, which managers used to enable timely identification of areas for improvement and ensuring that appropriate actions were taken. Audits were regularly undertaken, including medicine management, care plans and daily records, and health and safety. These were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing practices and promoted compliance within processes to support safe and efficient service delivery.

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 supported to access a variety of health and social care professionals to ensure their needs were met. Referrals were made proactively to ensure people gained the support they needed as quickly as possible. Staff and the management team had strong relationships with the local professionals and all feedback we received was positive. One professional said, “All staff are very approachable and appear to have thorough meetings between themselves as all staff are fully informed when I have contacted them about the people I work with.” Care records showed that there was robust partnership working especially with the specialist mental health teams.

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 registered manager showed a strong commitment to making ongoing improvements across the homes. They used external guidance and research to drive the service forward. For example, using ‘Cycle of Change’ research, management developed an approach which enabled staff to develop an outcome star with people. This encouraged people to move from being ‘stuck’ to ‘self-reliant’ and able to move on. Using the stages of the cycle, staff were able to learn, develop and adapt their way of working to achieve positive outcomes with people.

Staff spoke of a positive, no blame, culture which allowed them to learn on a daily basis. They had robust handover meetings each shift to discuss how each person was and any learning which had been made since the previous shift. Any incidents were analysed to promote development opportunities. On the day of the inspection, there had been an incident the day before and the registered manager had already met with staff to discuss lessons learnt and implemented measures to reduce risks. There were regular team meetings to discuss learning points, and the management team also had regular discussions to share ideas and learning across the home and other sites.