ADHD Treatment Centre

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

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 was the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good.

The service was managed and led with a focus on quality, safety and continuous improvement. Leaders were visible and approachable and had the skills, experience and capacity to support staff and oversee the service. Governance arrangements supported oversight of quality, risk, staffing and performance through audits, incident reporting, team meetings and electronic systems.

Staff felt supported, valued and able to contribute to improvements. Learning from incidents and feedback was used to strengthen practice. Leaders recognised areas for further development and had taken steps to strengthen governance, feedback mechanisms and organisational capacity as the service continued to grow.

We have not awarded this service a score for Well-led.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Well-led.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture based on delivering good patient care. Policies and procedures reflected the organisation’s aims, values and governance arrangements. Staff understood the service’s values and described team objectives as focused on people’s experience and outcomes. Staff and leaders recognised that people were at different stages of treatment and required varying levels of support.

Staff told us they felt respected, valued and supported. They described a positive culture and said leaders were approachable and encouraged them to share ideas and raise concerns. Staff understood how their roles contributed to the service’s objectives and described working together towards shared goals.

Leaders promoted a shared direction through regular communication and engagement with staff. Monthly team meetings provided opportunities to discuss workload, service developments and operational issues. Meeting records showed staff contributed to discussions and were involved in conversations about service improvement and future planning.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles. The registered manager had been in post since 2023 and held both clinical and leadership responsibilities. The registered manager was a non-medical prescriber with experience working as an assessor in adult and children and young people services. They held multiple relevant qualifications and maintained up-to-date clinical knowledge and practice through continuous professional development.

All clinicians were registered with their respective professional bodies, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and General Medical Council (GMC), and maintained professional registration and standards. Leaders were visible and approachable. Staff told us they could contact leaders without barriers and felt supported in their roles. Staff described a supportive leadership approach and said they were encouraged to develop professionally.

Leaders had taken steps to strengthen leadership capacity in the last 6 months. Recruitment included a patient experience manager and a senior clinical psychologist. The patient experience manager role was introduced to strengthen governance arrangements, oversight of patient feedback and administrative support, while the senior clinical psychologist enhanced the service’s clinical leadership and specialist expertise.

Leaders maintained oversight of care delivery and staff wellbeing through regular supervision, annual appraisals and ongoing informal support. Staff said it was easy to raise concerns and that leaders listened and responded to their views, particularly in relation to people’s care.

The service promoted a culture where staff and people felt able to raise concerns and share feedback, and where these were listened to and communicated appropriately. Staff told us they felt able to speak up without fear and were aware of whistleblowing processes.

Staff and people could share feedback directly with leaders. Feedback was shared through informal discussions, appointments and monthly meetings due to the size of the team. People could provide feedback through multiple routes, including email, telephone, online feedback options, feedback forms and direct discussions during appointments.

The service had a staff feedback form in place. Leaders told us it was rarely used because they were a small team and staff felt able to raise concerns, questions and suggestions directly. Staff feedback was discussed during monthly team meetings, and records showed that concerns, requests and workload pressures were openly discussed.

The service had a freedom to speak up policy, which was reviewed annually. Staff had access to local freedom to speak up guardians and speaking up services. Information about speaking up arrangements was displayed within the service, and staff understood the whistleblowing process. Leaders recognised that formal mechanisms for gathering staff feedback were not yet fully embedded and had plans to introduce more structured approaches as the service grows.

The service valued staff and supported an inclusive working environment. Staff described how leaders, particularly the registered manager, supported them to maintain a work-life balance. Staff told us adjustments were made to working arrangements and responsibilities to accommodate family commitments and personal circumstances.

Staff reported that the service promoted equality and diversity in day-to-day work. Staff described flexible working arrangements, including a mix of remote and occasional onsite working and part-time roles, which supported them to manage their workload alongside personal responsibilities. They said this approach helped manage work-related stress and supported their wellbeing.

Training records showed 100% compliance for equality and diversity training in the last 6 months, from January to June 2026. Policies relating to staff support, induction and employment processes were in place. The service’s recruitment and equality policies promoted fair and non-discriminatory recruitment practices, including equitable advertising, shortlisting, interviewing and promotion processes, and consideration of reasonable adjustments where required.

The service had governance systems in place to support the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care. These systems were used to monitor performance, manage risk and support service development, although some processes were still being strengthened. Complaints and feedback were monitored and acted on at service level. Records showed concerns were followed up and used to improve processes within the service.

The service used audit activity to support oversight and improvement, including infection prevention and control, environmental and fire safety checks, and the review of risk assessments, care records and medicines management processes. Audit findings were shared with staff and informed updates to documentation and processes relevant to assessment, treatment and ongoing care.

There was a structured approach to governance through regular team meetings and multidisciplinary discussions. Key information, including learning from incidents, patient feedback, safeguarding and operational risks, was shared and reviewed. Staff told us these meetings supported oversight of service delivery and enabled consistent communication across the team.

The service maintained a risk register with 8 identified risks across clinical, prescribing, data security and staffing areas. Of these, 7 risks remained open and were actively monitored, while 1 risk had been closed. Most risks were rated high, with staffing risks rated as moderate. All risks had action plans, identified leads and review dates, with ongoing monitoring and mitigation in place.

Maintenance records showed 20 items relating to equipment and safety checks. Of these, 19 were up to date and 1 item was overdue, with systems in place to monitor and maintain a safe environment.

The service undertook clinical audit activity to monitor quality and safety. Prescribing and controlled drug audits reviewed samples of patient records and identified areas for improvement, including strengthening recall systems and documentation processes. Staff told us audit findings were discussed and used to improve practice.

Joint oversight arrangements with the GP practice supported monitoring of quality, performance and risk, including staffing, health and safety, business continuity and information governance. The service had arrangements to support sustainability and continuity. A business continuity plan outlined how the service would maintain safe delivery during disruption, including arrangements for staffing, IT systems, supplies, health and safety and safeguarding.

Information governance systems were in place to maintain the confidentiality and security of patient information. Staff had access to information systems, equipment and data required to carry out their roles. Leaders used electronic systems to monitor service activity and performance, and records showed high compliance with information governance training.

The service worked collaboratively with external organisations and professionals to support people’s care and wellbeing. Staff liaised with local authority teams, including safeguarding services, and worked with external healthcare providers and crisis services when people required additional support, escalation or referral. The service also accessed specialist clinical advice when required to help ensure people received appropriate care and support.

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. Staff described a small service that was growing and adapting its systems and processes to support safe care and future development. The service used information from audits, service reviews and operational monitoring to identify opportunities to enhance care.

A service improvement log showed leaders had taken action to address issues affecting patient experience, access and prescribing oversight. Actions included introducing automated monitoring reminders, reviewing referral pathways with psychiatry colleagues, exploring additional premises to increase assessment capacity and progressing registration with LLR Care Records, a local shared care record system that enables access to relevant clinical information with consent. Leaders told us this would help reduce delays in obtaining records required before appointments could proceed and improve timely access to assessment and treatment.

Managers ensured staff had access to regular team meetings and opportunities for shared learning. Learning from audits, incidents and complaints was discussed in meetings and used to improve practice. The provider used automated booking replies, appointment reminders and review tracking systems to support attendance and follow-up. Staff also told us the service had a mechanism to remind patients of appointments and follow up if people did not attend or did not collect prescriptions.

The service had strengthened training governance. Following review of the training matrix, managers introduced enhanced monitoring and automated alerts, so staff and managers were notified before training expiry dates. Staff were given opportunities to improve the service and contribute ideas. Staff told us they could input into service development, and 1 staff member said they had developed monitoring processes that were accepted by leaders.

Staff also said improvement methods included using the latest research, risk assessment tools and NICE guidance to review and update practice. There was evidence of staff participation in research and professional development activity. Staff told us they had participated in innovation and research activity and attended neurodevelopment study days. The service had been a certified member of continuing professional development accreditation since 2023. The service also recognised staff achievement and development. Leaders celebrated the publication of a self‑help book by one of their clinicians on anxiety, depression and mental health.