Alva Healthcare Ltd

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 requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to the governance at the service.

This service scored 62 (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 provider had a values statement which underpinned every aspect of the service. The registered manager told us they were dedicated to delivering high quality care tailored to meet people's needs whilst upholding the principles of equality, diversity and human rights. The registered manager said, “Our values are not just a statement, they guide our dally actions.” The core values were upheld by staff who treated people with respect, dignity and compassion.

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 registered manager was supported by a managing director and operational lead. The registered manager told us they felt supported by other leaders in the organisation, and they worked well together to ensure a good standard of care and support was offered to people.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had access to the whistle blowing policy and told us they would use this if required. The provider supported staff to raise concerns and to challenge any unsafe practice they witnessed.

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 had access to an employee handbook which detailed all relevant staff processes, policies and procedures. Staff meetings took place regularly, giving staff opportunity to discuss important matters. Monthly peer learning sessions took place where staff and leaders learned from each other. As a result of 1 session, staff requested more regular check in sessions from the registered manager. The registered manager agreed to increase these to fortnightly check in sessions which commenced in May 2025. Staff took part in staff surveys and feedback was used to improve the service.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate. The provider had a governance system which included a series of quality audits. These included audits for medicine management, training compliance and care planning. However, the systems had not always identified issues we raised during the assessment, specifically around managing medicines and risk. Systems required further embedding in to practice to ensure their efficacy. This was a breach of regulation, and we asked the provider to complete an action plan to demonstrate how this would improve.

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 manager showed a commitment to partnership working, sector learning, and management visibility which ensured the service remained responsive, innovative, and aligned with best practice as it developed. The management team attended a local provider forum and sector webinars to share and improve their knowledge.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. However, these principles were not always practically applied. For example, staff had raised an issue about a person’s support and although this was acted on, clear lessons had not been learnt, and care plans had not been updated to minimise future risks. The provider’s systems and processes for learning and improvement were in place but needed to be embedded in to practice.