Willows Care Southern Limited

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 following a change of provider. 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. There was clear culture promoted within the service which staff understood. There was a clear governance structure within the service and staff understood their roles. Staff were encouraged to speak up and make suggestions or raise concerns. The service worked with local partners including the local community and professionals.

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. There was visible leadership in the service. Staff knew who to approach for support and direction. They told us they could speak to the manager at any time if they needed support and guidance. Staff told us the provider visited the service often, along with the manager, they shared their vision for the service. The provider spoke to people, relatives and staff about how they wanted to improve the service. One staff member told us, “The providers have made a lot of changes since they took over. They listen to us and want the service to improve.”

The provider and management team had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. Staff told us the manager and provider ran the service well and provided effective leadership. Comments included, “The new providers are very good, they are very involved in the service. They visit often and chat with us, they make us feel involved and supported. They listen to our views and motivate us.” Other staff told us they trusted the providers. The manager understood their role and told us they felt supported by the provider. Staff had been supported to improve their skills with regular training and supervision to discuss their role and any concerns they may have.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider had whistle blowing policies and procedures in place, there was information and training provided. The manager told us they operated an ‘open door’ policy, they encouraged staff to approach them if they had any concerns. The manager tried to resolve issues quickly before they escalated. They gave feedback, where possible, when concerns were raised, to reassure staff action had been taken. Staff told us they were comfortable and confident to raise concerns with the manager or the provider. Staff told us they knew how to whistle blow but had never needed to as action had always been taken to address any concerns they had reported.

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 told us they were treated fairly and with respect. There had been adjustments made for staff considering their needs and circumstances. One staff member who had specialist communication needs told us, staff had made sure they could communicate with them in the way they needed. They were happy and liked working at the service. Staff had completed equality and diversity training and understood their role to promote equality in the service.

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. There were effective systems and processes in place to monitor and check the quality of the service. The manager completed monthly audits which covered all areas of the service including care plans and medicines. The manager completed spot checks during the night to check staff were completing their roles and meeting people’s needs. The manager observed mealtimes and asked people about their experience and opinions on the food. When concerns or shortfalls were found, action plans were put in place to rectify the issue, and this was checked the next month.

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 service had developed links to the community and worked with health professionals. The manager described how staff were supported by the dementia support team, which was very helpful. The staff team had developed good working relationships with teams such as the acute response team. The service invited entertainers and animal therapy groups to visit which people told us they enjoyed.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. The provider was continuously learning ways to develop and improve the service delivered. Staff told us they discussed ways to improve the service on a regular basis. For example, during shift handovers, they discussed how to make the shift better for people. Staff told us the provider consulted them and listened to them about the improvement needed in the service. Staff meetings and handovers were used to share learning from incidents and discuss how to support people. One staff member told us, “Sometimes we involve professionals in our meetings to help find solutions and improve practices.”