Skirbeck Lodge

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 79 (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 and staff 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.

There was a positive culture within Skirbeck Lodge. Through regular documented staff supervisions and by using the anonymous online staff survey tool, staff members were able to share and voice their opinions to the management team on the service and what they felt is or is not working so well. The evidence would be collated by the management team and shared to the staff with actions agreed by the team.

By joint working with external teams’ clinical oversight was achieved that reached all aspects of the service ensuring correct processes were in place to promote a healthy lifestyle for the people while adhering to the potential risks involved. Staff worked closely with professional teams and questioned clinical decisions that potentially could impact the quality of a person’s life. Skirbeck staff would risk assess certain activities chosen by people and make adjustments that worked in line with their conditions such as a private martial arts class compared to a group setting. Enabling individuals to pursue activities they liked but may not be able to due to the restrictions in place.

All staff were open and transparent and were committed to developing a home for people, to improve their quality of life and their outcomes. Staff worked alongside people and were supported to understand any restrictions and potential risks while living in the community. People were provided with easy read copies of this documentation in formats that they could understand.

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.

There was an organisational structure in place and staff understood their roles, responsibilities and contributions to the service. Staff worked alongside external teams but were given the opportunity to challenge decisions that they felt could inhibit a person’s growth living in a community setting.

The registered manager supported the deputy manager to take on additional roles and to assist with the day to day running on the service. This included additional managerial training that included appraisal, recruitment and Clinical Governance. They were assisted by senior care staff who had received additional training to support the management team. Before staff took on additional roles unsupervised the provider ensured they had the knowledge, skills, competence and confidence to do so.

A monthly governance staff meeting was held and lead by the deputy manager. Action plans from the previous month’s meeting were reviewed with actions documented if they had not been resolved. New concerns and issues were discussed as a team with a new set of actions to be followed and to be reviewed at the next meeting in 4 weeks.

Staff were positive and proud about how the service was run said they received positive support from the management team. A staff member told us, “I like working here, we are like a big family, and I feel proud in what we do for the people living here. The team all work well together and the management team are very supportive.”

There were systems to support staff, and others, to speak up when they had concerns and a 24 hour on-call service to speak to management in emergencies

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were supported to have their say and make suggestions for improvements through regular supervision and meetings with the registered manager. Staff understood the whistle-blowing policy and told us how and when they would report any concerns. Staff told us they could always contact and speak with the management team outside their working hours to raise any issues. There were systems in place which encouraged the freedom to speak up such as the “your voice” meeting for people and team meetings for the staff team. One person said, “I know where the staff room is, and I know where staff are in the building and I can always see and find them if I needed any help.”

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 told us they felt supported by the managers, supported in their role and are happy working for the service. They said that they were provided with the correct training for them to do their job and any additional training such as NVQ qualifications if requested.

Staff said that the management team supported their well being with reasonable adjustments reviewed and actioned if requested. Staff were supported to build their confidence with aspects within the service with mentoring and guidance made available such as staff working towards their medication administration awareness training.

Annually the management held a staff awards evening for the team. Staff will be awarded for achievements gained throughout the year. The staff feedback that they looked forward to the event, felt proud and felt appreciated by the service.

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.

The staff team undertook a range of audits to assess care quality and safety such as care plans, environmental risk assessments, and staff competency assessments. Audits and governance processes such as the analysis of accidents and incidents, helped ensure the service had an accurate picture of risk to the safety and quality of the service at any one time.

Through joint working with external teams, the Skirbeck team were supported with a large clinical oversight and were kept up to date with best practice and guidance to ensure that people were safe and received good care.

The team worked well with external agencies and provided monthly reports as required due to legal conditions of the service. Additional required data and reports were shared with actions documented and followed.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership with others, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The provider and staff team developed and maintained positive working relationships with services who together managed the risk oversight and care of the people living at Skirbeck Lodge. Staff told us they were in regular contact with the Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust via virtual and face-to-face meetings. They were able to provide feedback of care, gain clinical support and share achievements. Feedback from an external professional included, “They are open to working closely with clinical staff and adjust their approach to meet individual person’s need.”

Partners in the pilot were overwhelmingly positive and complimentary about the service and what they had achieved in a short space of time for the people living at Skirbeck Lodge. This has been reported throughout this report. One described the care and support as exemplary, whilst another was thoroughly impressed with the home that has been created for the people living there.

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 contributed to safe, effective practice and research which was demonstrated through their proactive approach to the pilot and willingness to not only be the first of its kind but also the strong focus on providing care and support to individuals who had not had this before.

The provider worked closely with other agencies to ensure that the most appropriate and effective ways of working were implemented. One person had an individual risk mitigation profile plan (IRMP) in place with the provider aiming to have all people assessed by using IRMP system. The profile would be used across secure and community settings and would be completed using a multi-disciplinary approach. With aims to facilitate effective communication between those people defining and measuring risk in secure and community settings. This allowed a more systemic approach and ensured better co-ordination between services, achieving the best outcomes for the people who used services.While this was being lead by the mental health trust, it was being implemented in collaboration with people and staff.