Ear Matters Exeter

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

The service had a vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. There were clear roles and staff worked together and with external stakeholders to provide a safe and effective service. Appropriate governance arrangements and policies and procedures which under pinned the running of the service were routinely reviewed to ensure they were relevant and current. There was a culture of continuous improvement with ongoing audits of care and treatment being used to improve service provision when needed.

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 service 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 client and their communities.

All staff had contributed to the development of the practice vision and strategy, which was kept under review. The service was aware of a steady rise in clients and was working with other agencies to address future need for appointments. The service was looking to employ more staff and was in the process of reviewing their recruitment, mentoring and induction policies and processes. Planning for the future was carried out in a measured and sustainable way.

The service 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 shared lead roles and ensured they met regularly the discuss the service provision. They also linked in with other practitioners in the same field to share best practice and undertake reflective learning. The service had positive links with other similar practices in the area.

Ear Matters is an independent health service which provides ear micro suction and irrigation. This quality statement is not relevant for this service.

The service strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which promoted equality and equity.

Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. Staff were aware of reasonable adjustments and equality and diversity.

The service 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.

Staff were clear on their roles and responsibilities and scope of practice. They ensured a client’s GP would be contacted if needed, with the client’s consent. Policies and procedures were reviewed regularly, but further review was needed to ensure links in documents directed readers to the correct information and all information was up to date.

Processes to manage significant events and complaints were clearly set out. The service had self-identified a significant event from a complaint, we saw this had been investigated, but a timescale for completion of actions if needed was not present on the log. The provider said they would commence work on these areas immediately.

Staff had regular appraisals and clinical supervision. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. There were regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical care and treatment, all meetings were minuted. Staff took client confidentiality and information security seriously.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for client. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The service was starting to work with other organisations, such as a charity and major retailer with the aim of improving service provision in the community. The service also had a satellite clinic at another locality which housed other health services.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. They actively contribute to safe and effective practice.

The practice had a quality improvement plan to help drive improvements in services. Both staff were qualified to mentor and teach other nurses.