12 Channel Lea

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. There was a positive culture at the service that focused on people’s rights and ability to make choices. People and their relatives were actively engaged in their own care and communicated with openness and integrity. On our visit we saw people were communicated with in a positive way, and empowered to take ownership of their day to day lives and how they wanted to spend them. One relative told us, “My relative has more say now in their care. They have come on quite a bit since he’s been there, they did a lot with us.”

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. Leaders were accessible, led by example and modelled the values they expected from their staff team. They worked to advocate for the people they supported. For example, when people were considering their future and if residential care remained the best place for them, management worked with them to support them making that decision in a way that was safe and people were given the information they needed to make it. This included linking with independent services who could advocate for people and their individual rights. Staff felt valued and supported by their management team who treated them with respect and empowered them to take ownership of the care they were delivering. One staff member told us “I enjoy working at the service. The manager and senior in charge are both wonderful people and very supportive.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People felt confident that if they had any concerns, their voice would be heard and that management would be responsive and open to any issues raised. There were regular staff meetings and surveys giving staff a regular opportunity to share their feedback, and where their voice was actively sought out and listened to. One staff member told us, “The manager is really good, if can’t sort things out she is always approachable.” Although this was a small service staff explained there was always a senior manager who they could call if they had any concerns. Another staff member explained, “If I ever have concerns or need support there is always a duty manager on call.” There was a whistleblowing policy in place and staff were knowledgeable about how they could contact other organisations to raise concerns if they felt action was not being taken.

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. All staff had received training in equality and diversity, and told us they felt valued and their roles and that diverse person circumstances were understood and supported. One staff member told us “The staff team are very supportive of one another. If anybody has a family emergency or difficulties in their personal life we will support it if needed.”

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 strong and robust governance systems in place to monitor the quality of care being delivered to ensure it remained consistently high. This included regular spot checks, reviews of documentation, health and safety audits and checks on staffing levels and competency. Where any quality concerns issues were identified appropriate action was taken, with records showing ongoing improvement actions at the service, who was responsible and a date when they need to be achieved. There were strong business continuity arrangement in place in case of an emergency such a failure of an important utility, with clear plans of how staff would respond to ensure continuity of care.

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 had developed strong and positive relationships with partners in their wider community, which enabled people to grow new social connections and empowered to be active participants in their own community. For example, staff had worked with one person to support them in joining a local book club where they had written their own book. A copy of this book had been presented to them at a special event at a local art gallery. People were also able to form strong relationships with people from other services operated by the provider in Kent, with people often coming to 12 Channel Lea to visit or attending social events such as parties together. This had enabled people to develop new and meaningful social connections that supported their mental wellbeing and sense of self.

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. There was a strong focus on ongoing learning to support continual quality improvement. Where incidents and accidents occurred, through analysis of any contributory factors was taken and this learning shared with the wider team to prevent them from reoccurring. Staff meanings were used to share changes in guidance or best practice to ensure staff were following current evidence-based guidance. One staff member explained, “For me, For If I need support or advice on what to do I can always go to management. I’m still learning after 22 years!.”