Woodfield 24 Care Services

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 75 (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 based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding the needs of people and their communities. The registered manager was committed to ensuring the service’s values were delivered and supported staff to do the same.

Overall, staff feedback about the culture of the service was positive. Staff told us they felt valued, supported, and encouraged to share ideas. One staff member said, “I do believe that a collaborative culture takes place and sharing ideas is encouraged.” However, this was not a consistent experience across the whole team. Another staff member told us, “Leaders of the service only respond to you when it is to their advantage, they do not see you as an individual. If you go to them with a problem, you don't feel as if they are genuine in their support. They do not respond to concerns of poor culture. When support is given, it feels like you are being a nuisance.” While a positive and inclusive culture was experienced by many, some staff did not feel equally supported or heard.

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 demonstrated the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility needed to lead effectively, and did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The registered manager understood their responsibilities and legal obligations. People and their relatives felt the service was managed effectively, and overall, staff reported feeling supported by the registered manager. One staff member told us, “I do think they have compassion and understanding and want the company to be the best we can be.” However, this view was not universally shared. Another staff member said, “The culture at Woodfield 24 feels very much like us and them. It feels like two separate and different cultures simultaneously coexisting namely, there exists the mission statement and then there is the reality. Sadly, it feels like never the twain shall meet.” While leadership was viewed positively by many, some staff perceived a disconnect between organisational values and everyday practice.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider had a whistle blowing policy and fostered an open and transparent culture where employees felt empowered to raise genuine concerns regarding malpractice within the organisation. This whistleblowing policy outlined the procedure for reporting concerns, protecting employees from retaliation and ensuring all concerns were addressed appropriately.

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 had policies and procedures relating to equality, diversity and inclusion and staff had completed the relevant training. Staff received adequate training and supervision, had opportunities to explore professional development and their support needs were identified.

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 registered manager said, “The managing director has daily involvement in the service and has the tools and information readily available to conduct spot checks, and audits. All monthly key performance indicators [KPIs] are reviewed, and these are reported to the board of director and directors within the local trust.Within my role as the registered care manager, I conduct spot checks, observations, monthly auditing and monthly KPI review, I manage development of staff and training and meet with the team bi-monthly to keep up to date and to understand concerns and improvements from the team. I investigate and record patient safety concerns effectively. I manage the service and provide oversight to the senior leaders within the team and care support staff. I ensure that there are safe levels of staffing and commitment to continuous improvement. All policies and procedures are reviewed annually.”

The provider worked in partnership with others to help ensure people received joined-up care that met their needs. They shared information and learning with health and social care professionals and collaborated to support continuous improvement.

The provider worked well with healthcare professionals to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high-quality care to people. The registered manager said, “As a service we have professional and clinical support networks and supervision regularly, we work extremely closely with palliative care working groups within the community. We seek professional feedback from working partners and discuss what is working and areas of improvement within the company which is shared with the staffing team. We know how we can contact other local providers and where we can attend forums with the local council.”

The provider promoted a culture of continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and within the local system. The registered manager used feedback, audits and quality checks to identify areas for development and implement improvements to the quality and safety of care. They demonstrated a clear commitment to ongoing service development, informed by best practice and research. The registered manager told us, “I have a continuous record of improvements that I maintain and update as I progress throughout my journey in management with Woodfield 24 care services.” They described completing 2 significant organisational changes with full staff involvement, which, while challenging, led to improved ways of working. The service had launched a volunteer-led befriending initiative to offer holistic support to people in the community, with plans to expand access across Doncaster. Looking ahead, the registered manager outlined their ambition to develop a 24-hour care offer, including overnight support for people living alone or those at risk of crisis. The registered manager said, “I would love to build our service and team further, increasing our knowledge, skills and ability to ensure that we are recognised as an outstanding service that I know we are.”