Tees Grange

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 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.

Leaders created a shared direction that made sure people were at the centre of their support when decisions about their lives were being made. The service’s mission statement was, ‘To make every day better for the people that we care for and work with’. This ethos was built into conversations with staff, and evident in daily huddle and heads of departments meeting minutes. The provider values are fun, integrity, responsive, success and teamwork. The registered manager told us strategic goals changed based on the current themes and trends she identified using the internal governance process.

The provider promoted equality and diversity within the staff team and tackled workforce inequalities by developing a team charter based on the provider values. This initiative followed on from concerns identified by the registered manager relating to diversity issues within the staffing team. Staff received additional training in ethnicity to ensure they had a better understanding of other cultures.

The provider had inclusive leaders 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 to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Staff told us, “Leadership is proactive in addressing concerns and maintaining a positive workplace culture. Regular measures, such as drop-in clinics, provide opportunities for discussion.”

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

Staff had access to whistleblowing information and were able to raise concerns in team meetings or supervisions. Staff could raise concerns anonymously using the whistleblowing helpline and the comments tin. The home had ‘See Hear and Speak’ posters which promoted speaking up. The provider did not have a freedom to speak up champion currently in place.

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.The diverse staff team brought their experience and culture and shared these with each other and people at the service.

The registered manager worked closely with staff to ensure they understood people’s cultural, religious and spiritual needs providing additional training and initiatives based on culture and diversity. We observed a risk assessment for a pregnant staff member, which detailed reasonable adjustments in place to protect their health and wellbeing.

Most staff reported that they worked in an environment where everyone felt included, respected and accepted for who they are. This information was taken from the 2024 staffing survey, in which 100% of staff participated.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The management team had an excellent understanding of risk within the service and had quality assurance systems in place to manage it. Comprehensive checks were undertaken to monitor and improve the quality of care and support, at both service and provider level.

People’s care plans and records were thorough, and personal information was kept secure. The provider was continuously reviewing and improving governance processes and sharing good practice. Policies were kept up to date with changes to legislation, and business continuity plan showed the provider’s preparedness for events such as adverse weather or loss of premises.

Robust systems and processes were in place to manage recruitment, training and staff performance. Management were transparent as governance processes were shared with people, staff, visiting professionals and family members using displaying boards around the home.

It was evident the systems and processes in place contributed to the service delivering good safe, effective and high-quality care.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership with all services involved in supporting people to have full lives. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

There was regular engagement with people, their relatives, partners and other services. There was a strong focus on supporting people to thrive, develop skills and enjoy new experiences.

We heard examples about how the staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and relatives using a multiple disciplinary team approach to ensure people’s needs were safely met in the service. Partners spoke positively about their partnership with the staff and management team. A professional said, “Staff were friendly, approachable and went above and beyond to ensure my client’s needs were met and outcomes achieved.”

The service had an appointed service user ambassador who proudly embraced the role. They promoted service users’ views and ideas, worked with the management and meet and greet visitors to the service. The provider had introduced a new initiative ‘the service user council’, this allowed service user ambassadors a strong voice. The ambassadors highlighted that their living experience is highly influenced by the interactions they have with colleagues. The provider collaborated with them to create future plans and make improvements for both service users and staff.

Relatives said the service was working in partnership with them through regular meetings, phone calls and updates following health appointments. One relative said, “They provide support with healthcare appointments and manged this well for them if they have been unwell, they contact us and provide the information.”

Effective processes were in place and embedded to ensure partnership working was maintained to improve people's experiences, health, and wellbeing.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 spoke about initiatives that supported improvement including visual huddle boards. Staff were fully supportive of the providers approach to innovative and continuous improvement. Staff embraced the technology used and the developments that the home has implemented including a private WhatsApp group where updates and video training was shared. Staff carried a learning card which contained principles of the Mental Capacity Act, and we observed visual learning prompts around the home including in staff communal areas.

Some staff had been given the opportunity to develop their skills as dignity, sexuality, buddy, nutrition, EMAR, ligature, mental capacity and IPC champions. They shared learning with the team, to help improve the safety and quality of care. We also heard positive examples about how staff champions enabled positive outcomes for people.

The provider had an internal learning and development department where continuous professional development opportunities were offered and encouraged such as apprenticeship schemes up to level 7.