MSA Supported Living 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 newly registered service. This key question has been 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 64 (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 did not have a clear shared vision, strategy and culture which was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. They did not always understand the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The values of the service were not embedded in every-day practice. They were not discussed with staff to drive the delivery of consistently safe care. This was reflected in the quality of care provided at times. For example, values were not consistently reflected upon to ensure staff were meeting the expected standards. The provider has advised us they plan to implement their values throughout day-to-day practice, including in supervisions and team meetings.

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 provider had capable leaders, demonstrated by having a thorough oversight of audit and quality improvement throughout the service. Professionals we spoke with spoke highly of leaders. One professional told us, "The management are on site and are continually monitoring the service staff and progress of the residents. The management lead the service to ensure staff and residents are supported; they are approachable and knowledgeable about the people they support and the complex needs and how to approach and engage the residents." Staff we spoke with told us leaders were approachable and they could raise concerns with them. One staff member told us, "The managers are very supportive, because of this support I feel able to provide high-quality care and continue developing in my role."

The provider did not always foster a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place. Staff we spoke with felt confident to raise concerns to leaders within the service. One staff member told us, "I feel able to raise concerns with my managers. They are easy to reach and to talk to." However, people we spoke with did not feel they could approach leaders in the service to discuss concerns, or their concerns would be heard due to poor working relationships with leaders in the service. The provider has been responsive to our feedback.

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.

There was an equality and diversity policy in place and staff had completed equality and diversity training. The provider had a diverse workforce, supported by their staff recruitment processes. Staff we spoke with agreed the provider works towards an inclusive workforce.

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 did not have consistently robust systems and processes in place to support good governance. Leaders completed relevant quality and improvement audits, for example, care planning and health and safety audit. However, there was a lack of recording in care documentation which was not identified by leaders. Incident trackers which leaders had implemented were not always effective in documenting outcomes or actions, for example, in relation to safeguarding concerns. The provider completed thorough regular quality audits, however, some information in relation to notifications which had been submitted to the Commission was missing from auditing records. The provider also did not always provide updates on notifications to CQC. The provider has been responsive to our assessment feedback.

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.

Professionals we spoke with spoke highly of the provider regarding partnership working with other services. One professional told us, "They [the provider] worked with the employer [of a person using the service] to be part of [the persons] employment support as a point of contact for staff to raise concerns or explore approach and solutions."

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 provider had systems in place to identify areas of learning in the service. There were regular team meetings which identified learning or improvement with staff. The provider sent out staff and people surveys to ask for feedback on improvements and they completed regular quality audits to identify areas of learning. During the assessment process, any identified areas of learning were responded to quickly and action taken by leaders. Professionals we spoke with advised the provider had a focus on continued learning. One professional told us, "Management are open to discussing and looking at areas where they can or could improve."