Partnership Care & Support

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 newly registered 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 promoted a shared vision of person-centred, evidence-based care throughout the service. Leaders ensured their vision for the service was shared with staff as soon as they joined the service. This was done through induction, the staff handbook and embedded through team meetings and one to one supervision meetings. This meant that staff understood and shared the ethos and goals of the service.

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.

Staff told us that the registered manager and leadership team were supportive, caring and inclusive. One member of staff told us that communication between managers and staff was, “timely and effective”. Another member of staff told us that the registered manager, “Understands the role we do. He gets it and supports us accordingly. The management are good at establishing expectations”

Managers regularly met with staff to ensure they received the organisational support they required to provide effective care. Leaders had extensive experience in healthcare provision and undertook the learning required to maintain their registration with professional organisations

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

People, relatives and staff told us their views and suggestions were welcomed by the leadership. One relative told us, “We enjoy a good relationship with [the registered manager and quality lead] and feel that there is a free and fair exchange of views and information.” Another relative said the service had, “Taken feedback given on board and seem more confident as a team in managing my [family members] needs.”

The provider gathered the views of people, relatives and staff using formal and informal methods. Formally, the provider held meetings, including team meetings and care reviews and carried out surveys. Informally, leaders sought feedback through regular in-person and telephone conversations as well as email correspondence. This meant the provider promoted an open and positive culture of speaking up.

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.

Staff told us that the registered manager and leadership team were supportive, caring and inclusive. One member of staff told us that communication between managers and staff was, “timely and effective”. Another member of staff told us that the registered manager, “Understands the role we do. He gets it and supports us accordingly. The management are good at establishing expectations”

Managers regularly met with staff to ensure they received the organisational support they required to provide effective care. Leaders had extensive experience in healthcare provision and undertook the learning required to maintain their registration with professional organisations

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 provider monitored and improved the care and support people received. Leaders undertook a range of audits to ensure safety and quality. These included checks of care records, staff records, health and safety, action plans and people’s medicines. Where shortfalls were identified, the registered manager developed an action plan and a timeline for completion.

The service had a leader in post with responsibilities for monitoring quality. They carried out continuous monitoring and undertook spot checks. These checks were unannounced and took place to ensure that care and support was provided in line with people’s care plans and the provider’s policies.

The service had an out-of-hours on-call phone number for staff to access. This meant that staff had access to management support and guidance overnight and at weekends. The provider had contingency plans in place to ensure people’s care and support continued safely in the event of an emergency affecting systems or management.

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 partnership with other agencies and services to meet people’s needs. Leaders and staff engaged with health and local authority commissioners to create and provide care packages and worked collaboratively to review their quality.

People were supported to receive input from healthcare professionals at home, in clinics, GP practices and hospital. Staff made referrals to healthcare professionals when required and supported them to attend appointments. Additionally, staff supported people to access activities in the community and within adult education.

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 promoted a learning culture within the service. Staff received on-going mandatory training and training to meet people’s specific needs. Incidents and near misses were reviewed to ensure lessons were learnt collectively, and quality audits were reviewed and acted upon. Leaders valued the input of others and actively sought the views and suggestions of people, relatives, staff and professionals to drive improvements.