Samfos Health - Merton

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.

People and relatives were positive about the service and leadership, with many describing a culture that was open and responsive. For example, one relative said, “The service is excellent, honest, and from start to finish they are very good.”

Leaders were visible and accessible to people and their families, which supported a culture of openness and trust. Leaders described an open-door approach and opportunities for staff to raise questions and be heard through regular staff meeting.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care 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.

People and relatives described leaders as approachable and supportive. One person said, “The management is excellent and very supportive”, and another shared “The management is excellent, and the manager is easily accessible.”

However, feedback from staff was more mixed, with some reporting concerns about how approachable and accessible the management team were. This was a particular issue when care workers were working outside of normal office hours. We discussed this with the management team who said they would further investigate with staff how they could further support them.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People, staff and partner agencies were encouraged to speak openly. A whistleblowing policy was in place which outlined a freedom to speak up guardian. The provider had also linked with an external agency who staff could approach if they had any concerns that they felt unable to speak to the management team about.

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.

The provider promoted a fair, equal workspace where staff were free to work in an environment that was free from discrimination.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had effective governance systems in place to monitor quality and drive improvement. There were clear governance processes to oversee service delivery, including regular quality reviews and analysis to support continuous improvement. The service demonstrated oversight of key areas such as training, supervision and competency, helping to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills required to deliver safe care.

Systems were also used to monitor performance, such as call monitoring data, which was reviewed alongside feedback from people to identify areas for improvement.

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 provider worked in partnership with others to support people’s care and wellbeing.We received positive feedback from partner agencies about partnership working, including collaboration with the wider health and social care system. Families also described being involved in care decisions and feeling informed about their relatives’ care, demonstrating effective communication and partnership with those important to people. Satisfaction surveys and regular meetings were used to gather people, relatives and staff’s views and the findings from these were analysed and used to inform service development.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

The provider used systems and feedback to support learning and continuous improvement.Governance processes included regular review and analysis of service performance, which enabled leaders to identify areas for development and drive improvement. For example, work had been undertaken to improve punctuality and call scheduling.

Leaders had also identified a research project to participate in supporting people from LGBTQ+ communities to access care services. This project had not yet been implemented, and we will review the impact of it at our next assessment.