SDL Kingston

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 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 71 (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’s philosophy and values were included in the service user guide and the management team ensured staff worked in line with the provider’s values.

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 were open and inclusive. They were supportive of their staff team and the people receiving care. They were accessible and approachable. A relative told us, “The manager is a very friendly genuine man.” Staff said, “We have an open-door policy where we can walk in any time and access the management team.” And “I feel that we have a good management team, and we have confidence to talk to them about anything.” The registered manager attended several forums and meetings to stay up to date with best practice and ensure continuous learning and development.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt safe speaking up. A whistleblowing policy was in place which identified the freedom to speak up guardian. However, this was the registered manager, which is not in line with best practice. The registered manager told us they would review this to ensure an independent person was nominated as the freedom to speak up guardian who was available to support staff should they not feel able to raise concerns via the management team.

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. A diverse workforce was in place and the management team provided a flexible approach to enable staff to have time off to celebrate events that were important to them.

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. A clear governance system was in place to review the quality and safety of care delivery. A staff member told us, “There is the live viewing system where the care coordinator can see all calls delivered, the tasks written, time attended and how long the care worker stayed. The care coordinator will call you directly to discuss any short falls.” A programme of audits was undertaken to review medicine administration records and care records, as well as regular unannounced spot checks and telephone monitoring calls. Any areas requiring improvement identified through these processes were promptly addressed.

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 management team worked in partnership with people, their relatives and care staff. Relatives told us there was excellent joint working and communication. One relative said, “They are very quick to tell me things. I really think it’s a partnership we have.” Another relative told us, “They listen to me which makes me feel supported.” Staff told us they had regular meetings where they exchanged information and views about the service. Staff said they felt comfortable speaking up in these meetings and that their views were asked for and appreciated. One staff member told us, “I feel safe in raising concerns about the office and the work I am doing, because I know we are part of the team, and we discuss how we can make things better and come up with a plan together.”

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. There was dedication across the whole staff team to quality improvement and providing high quality care. Staff felt involved in service developments.