Aspirations Staffordshire

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 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, underpinned by transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an understanding of the challenges and needs of people and their communities. Central to this vision was valuing people as individuals and supporting them to live their own lives in the way they chose.

The provider shared their vision and values with staff, helping ensure everyone worked consistently towards the same goals. This included a clear focus on treating people with dignity and respect, recognising their individuality, and supporting independence and meaningful choice. These messages were communicated with staff through a range of methods, including newsletters and staff forums.

Records we reviewed confirmed that information about the provider’s vision and values was regularly shared and reinforced. This demonstrated a strong and consistent leadership approach that encouraged staff to deliver person‑centred care and to support people to achieve outcomes that mattered to them.

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.

Leaders were passionate in supporting people and wanted the best outcomes for everyone. They demonstrated this by being responsive when things went wrong and learning from incidents.

When equipment was needed to keep people safe, this had been funded by the provider to prevent a delay in the person being able to access the community.

Staff told us they felt management were supportive and cared about them. One staff member told us, “I also appreciate that my managers take an active interest in my goals and aspirations, offering encouragement and opportunities to develop my skills further.”

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

There were effective and accessible ways for people, relatives and staff to share their views. The provider described the different forums used to gather feedback and how this information was reviewed and analysed to drive improvements.

We saw evidence of analysis and improvements made in the service from feedback the provider had gathered.

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.

Staff came from a range of backgrounds and brought diverse skills and experience to the service. They promoted a respectful and inclusive environment for both people and colleagues.

One staff member told us, “The [staff] who support people are amazing. Theyall bring different skills with them due to different working and cultural backgrounds.”

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 provider had robust governance systems in place to support managers in identifying issues which they acted on to keep people safe.

Staff generally felt positive about management being supportive. A staff member told us, “Our team leaders, assistant manager, manager and other senior management are all approachable and listen to the support workers.” Another staff member said, “Overall, managers and team leaders are very approachable and accommodating.”

The provider considered the environment through their actions and communications and staff surveys reflected this too.

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.

The registered managers had developed good working relationships with a range of professionals to ensure people received consistent care and their needs were reviewed when needed. Staff regularly engaged with local health professionals, and the wider community to ensure people had access to a broad range of services and opportunities.

The provider understood their duty of candour. They were open and honest when things went wrong and acted to make things right and learning lessons. The provider sent notifications into CQC as necessary, as this is required when there are incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who use services.

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.

People were involved in delivering their own training to staff and staff continued to update their required training to enable them to support people in a person-centred way.

The provider was proactive in their approach to continually learning and supporting others to do this as well as working in collaboration with people to co-produce their support in a way that was meaningful for them.