North Supported Living Service

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 rated good. This key question remains good. 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 ensured there was a consistent vision, shared by all staff, that people’s independence and outcomes were the focal point for the service.

Policies, procedures and communication had regard to transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement and community. The provider had clear systems in place to support staff to support people to live full lives.

Staff were passionate about helping deliver this aim. One staff member told us, “You get the time and support to get to know people and to work with them towards what they want to achieve. That’s why I think staff stay.”

People, relatives and external professionals felt the service was well-led. One relative said, “I’d say they had a wobble a year or so ago. There was a bit of chop and change. It’s much more solid now. It hasn’t happened overnight, it’s happened because of the tenacity of carers and managers.”

People were involved in the recruitment process to a degree, with one person’s questions being put to prospective staff. The provider acknowledged there were more opportunities to include people in the recruitment process and agreed to review this.

The culture was positive and supported continuous learning and improvement. Leaders proactively supported staff. They worked collaboratively with people and partners to deliver care that was safe, person-centred and sustainable. They helped reduce inequalities by understanding and anticipating people’s needs and advocating for them where necessary.

Leaders role modelled inclusive, person-centred approaches to planning care. Delegation was clear, staff understood their roles and had the support to deliver compassionate support.

One staff member said, “They have always been there for me, not just with work things, but when I’ve really needed support.”

The provider ensured policies and procedures were in place to support staff, and to continue delivering safe, effective, person-centred care.

Leaders actively promoted staff wellbeing and empowered them to make suggestions to drive improvement. They encouraged staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. All staff were confident that their voices would be heard and gave examples of when they had raised issues and were listened to. There was a positive, open culture.

Staff could raise any issues with their line manager, or other leaders. Whistleblowing and freedom to speak up policies and procedures were accessible and regularly reviewed.

Supervisions, competency checks and internal newsletters containing reminder information all provided staff with further opportunities to raise any issues they may have.

People and relatives similarly felt they could raise concerns if they needed to. One relative said, “We have a good relationship with the leadership and they are responsive if we raise things.”

Staff were treated fairly and equitably. Leaders took action to regularly review and improve the culture of the organisation; they role modelled the behaviour they wanted to see. Staff with experience, skills and passion for the role were supported to become leaders.

People’s protected characteristics under the Equality Act were respected and acted on. Likewise, where staff had responsibilities outside of work that impacted on their ability to work certain times, this was fairly reviewed by the provider. Staff were supported in a way that had regard to their protected characteristics.

The provider had clear systems setting out roles, responsibilities and how governance should be managed. This supported staff to deliver person-centred, treatment and support.

Staff at all levels understood their roles and their level of accountability. There were service manager roles to ensure each house where people lived had clear oversight. Office staff and support staff worked well together and understood how their duties impacted and supported the other.

Action was taken when audits identified the need for improvement. Records were retained securely and confidentially.

Staff were well supported with additional training and to pursue their careers. This meant morale was good, as was staff retention.

Staff, people, relatives and external professionals had confidence in the leadership of the service.

The provider was aware of the need to build and maintain outward links. This meant people who used the service had more opportunities to engage in their communities, and also that staff were aware of good practice considerations outside of their own organisation. Examples included the provider signing up to attend the next local authority led provider forum. They had built up positive links with the local football team, enabling several people who used the service to attend more regularly.

The provider worked collaboratively to help people access their community and to achieve increased independence. They worked proactively and positively with a range of partners at multidisciplinary team meetings when reviewing people’s changing needs. Staff worked enthusiastically and openly with other professionals; they were open to advice.

They maintained positive relationships with charities and local groups, which contributed to people’s independence and ability to exercise their rights.

There was a focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. Leaders encouraged teams to find creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

Ongoing refresher training contributed to safe, effective care. Staff developed their skills so they could support and train other staff.

The culture was an open one in which staff could ask questions and were supported to reflect on their experiences.

The provider was aware of their responsibilities with regard to Oliver McGowan training.The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that providers must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism trainingappropriate to their role. The provider was reviewing their existing training alongside the newly available training at the time of inspection, to ensure their staff continued to support people well.

The providers’ systems supported openness and learning. The electronic records system was well understood by staff on a day-to-day basis. The provider recognised the need to interrogate the system further to understand the learning it could help provide.