Archived: 1 Southdowns View

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care. At our last inspection we found the provider was in breach of legal regulation in relation to good governance. At this inspection, enough improvements had been made, and the provider was no longer in breach of legal regulation.

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 management team had created an open culture where they promoted learning and improvements and sought guidance and support where needed to drive improvements. Staff told us how they enjoyed working for the service and that they always felt supported.

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. The management team worked closely together to provide a safe and effective service to people in their homes. The management team knew people they supported well and how best to meet their needs. We received positive feedback about the management team. The registered manager told us, “We have an amazing team. Staff all very loyal, and we enjoy meeting clients. We are most proud of our brilliant reputation.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The management team regularly requested client feedback, this requested feedback about if people were happy with their care and if they had any concerns. The management team would also do face to face check ins with people. Staff had regular supervisions and spoke positively about the management team and the support they received from them.

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 management team worked hard to ensure staffs needs were met such as flexible working to meet the needs of people’s family lives and long-term sick pay for staff that needed it. Staff told us how they enjoyed their job. Staff told us, "Kestrels is a great company to work for, they are A1."

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 management team had effective quality assurance oversight and carried out regular audits and checks to monitor and improve all aspects of care they delivered. The management had received guidance from the local authority support team and continued to drive improvements, including the service’s aims and objectives. Records were kept up to date and care plans were regularly reviewed and updated.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. The deputy manager explained how they analyse any accidents and incidents to look for patterns or trends. This included any accidents involving staff. Relatives told us, “[Name] is very safe, and we have had no complaints or incidents that have caused any concern." Another relative told us, “The carers are well trained in manual handling and there have been no accidents."

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 service had adopted a continuous learning approach, and this was evidenced with improvements being made with the guidance and support they had sought. Staff all spoke positively about the ongoing training and learning opportunities that were available to them. One relative told us, “Staff are well trained and diligent and really care about their clients."