Eskdale 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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been 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.

Inclusive discussions took place in staff meetings, and any areas for improvement were highlighted and discussed to ensure a mutual understanding of the issue and how to address it.

Staff felt able to share ideas and the registered manager said, “We can’t always action them, but I would always update the staff member about why.”

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 understood their roles and responsibilities and felt there was positive teamwork and good support and understanding from the leadership team.

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

Staff could share information with their supervisor or the registered manager and said they felt listened to. Whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place and regularly reviewed.

The registered manager said, “We have an executive and assistant director who visits and spends the day at the home so they can have face to face catch ups with staff.”

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 registered manager explained that at the current time no staff required reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act, aside from the provision of specific gloves for some staff. They said, “We do ask in induction and make occupational health referrals as needed and that would support with any adjustments.”

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.

Each staff member had a named supervisor, as well as the registered manager and a service manager. Together they maintained the governance systems and had clear oversight of the service.

Audits were completed and action was taken if the need for improvement was identified. It was acknowledged that there had been some delay in submitting some DoLS notifications and assurances were given that this would be acted upon.

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.

Links with local community groups were being established including the school, Church and the local Brownie’s group. Work was ongoing in relation to how to promote and celebrate cultural events and things which were important to the local community.

Staff worked well within a multi-disciplinary framework to ensure people received good quality care and support.

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.

Continuous staff training contributed to safe and effective care. Staff worked well together and supported each other to provide good quality care.

There was an open culture which promoted inclusivity, reflection and learning.

The provider was aware of their responsibilities regarding The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice and staff had attended appropriate training. The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that providers must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.