Walsingham Support - Langdon Park

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 inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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. 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 promoted a shared vision of the service. The manager and staff, supported by the provider’s quality team, worked together to drive improvements at the service. These improvements included developing a person-centred culture. Staff induction and training, team meetings and the provider’s policies all contributed to developing the positive culture at the service.

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 inclusive culture at the service. Relatives, health and social care professionals and staff told us that the new manager had made improvements. One relative told us, “[The manager] always contacts me asking for my views regarding the quality of [family member’s] care.” One health and social care professional told us, “The service has shown consistent improvement, with recent changes having a positive impact.”

Staff told us that the new manager had leadership skills and their support. One member of staff told us, “The manager leads by example and does things that other managers might think is beneath them. That is refreshing and encouraging.”

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

People, relatives and staff told us there was an open culture at the service and that the manager was approachable. One relative told us, “She always responds in a timely way to any issues or questions I have regarding [family member’s] care. All the suggestions I've made [were] actioned quickly and professionally and let me know when done.” One member of staff said, “Any problems; we speak to the manager.”

People were supported to meet and share their views. The provider organised a ‘People’s parliament’, a self-advocacy group that identified improvements and explored activities. One person told us, “We meet up. I talk up.” Residents’ meetings were arranged at the service for people to discuss their needs.

The manager arranged regular team meetings for staff to attend and discuss the delivery of people’s care and support. One member of staff told us, “When we have a team meeting everyone talks. We share our problems. We get to the bottom of them and resolve them.” Another member of staff said, “In the past staff issues were taken without consulting us, but not anymore.” This meant staff felt free to speak up and share their views.

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 service had a diverse workforce which possessed the skills and knowledge to meet people’s cultural and spiritual needs. People told us staff supported them to engage in the activities that were important to them. One person told us, “I go to church.” Staff demonstrated cultural sensitivity as they went about their work. One member of staff told us, “Staff will not speak their own language at work as this alienates people and staff who do not speak the language. It is agreed that we all speak English.” This meant inclusivity was promoted.

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.

At the last inspection we found 6 breaches of regulations relating to health and safety hazards, infection control risks, poor systems for food storage, a lack of activities and person centredness. The provider’s systems and processes to monitor and improve quality and mitigate risk was a breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2028.Good governance. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation 17.

The service had a registered manager who was on extended leave. The provider ensured that effective management arrangements were in place for the period of time the registered manager was away from the service. People, relatives and staff spoke favourably about the current manager. One person told us, “The manager is nice and I get on with her.” One member of staff said, “Thumbs up for the manager. They listen to the staff and support them. It’s good. You can go to her with problems. She cares for the people and for the staff.”

Relatives and healthcare professionals told us the service was well-managed. One relative told us, “I do feel Walsingham support is well managed by [new manager’s name] who has only been in the post for 3-4 months.” Another relative told us, “I think Walsingham are proving to be better than the previous care provider.” A healthcare professional told us that the service had been, “Responsive and transparent.”

Following our last inspection the provider developed a service improvement plan. This identified shortfalls and targets for progress. The provider supported the manager in meeting objectives with assistance from regional leaders and the provider’s quality team. One healthcare professional told us, “Walsingham’s Quality Team has provided strong support, including guidance on audit systems and processes.” This meant that the provider organisation helped drive improvements in the service.

The manager monitored the quality of care and support people received. A range of checks were carried out to ensure people’s needs were met. These included audits of medicines, care records, staff training, health and safety, and people’s nutrition. Actions were taken where shortfalls were identified. The provider’s quality assurance team carried out independent audits to confirm that actions were satisfactorily completed.

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 service engaged in partnership working to meet people’s needs. Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and the local authority’s quality monitoring team. This collaborative approach meant that people’s needs were assessed and how they were met was scrutinised. By working transparently with partners, the service was able demonstrate improvements in the provision of care and support to people.

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 actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The provider promoted shared learning. Where accidents and incidents occurred at other locations, the provider reviewed these events and shared learning throughout the organisation to services at other locations. This meant that the provider was proactive in improving the safety and effectiveness of people’s care and support.

The provider was focused on improvements at the service. The manager had plans in place to delegate specific duties to individual staff. These staff roles included health and safety, British sign language and a ‘people’s champion’. A staff member leading on medicines had already been created at the time of our inspection.