Riverside

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. At our last assessment, under the previous provider registration 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 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 based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an understanding of the challenges and needs of people and their communities.

The provider and registered manager had clear plans in place to drive the improvements needed within the service and had allocated the necessary resources to support this. People, families, and staff felt confident that action would be taken where needed. Staff felt well supported, and the registered manager was working with the team to promote collaboration across the units and develop a positive, inclusive working culture within the home.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment, and support, and who embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience, and credibility to lead effectively, and did so with integrity, openness, and honesty.

There was a new registered manager in post. They told us they felt well supported in their role and were very proud of their staff team. Staff spoke positively about the manager and felt respected and valued as part of the team. The registered manager operated an open-door policy and encouraged everyone to speak with them if they had concerns. They understood their responsibilities and appropriately notified external services of issues such as safeguarding incidents.

Further work was needed to ensure that systems of checks were used effectively to drive improvements. For example, in relation to medicines management, care planning, and record keeping and ensuring actions to follow up on information to develop person-centred care or end-of-life wishes were completed in a timely way.

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

Staff generally told us they felt able to raise concerns and that action would be taken when needed. Families also felt confident in raising feedback. Processes were in place to seek people’s views, including a ‘resident of the day’ scheme, where people living at the service were asked to share their views on how they were cared for.

The provider valued diversity within its workforce and worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by promoting equality and equity for all staff.

A number of initiatives were in place to support the workforce, including promoting mental wellbeing. Staff were trained as mental health first aiders, and the home was decorating a quiet space for staff to use if needed. Staff told us they felt well supported in their roles and encouraged to develop professionally.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability, or effective governance. They did not consistently act on the best available information about risk, performance, and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

A variety of audits were in place, but these had not always identified some of the shortfalls we found during our site visit, for example, issues with the storage of medicines or the level of detail in care plans. While care plans and risk assessments were in place, they were not always sufficiently detailed or personalised to guide staff in supporting individuals. There was no clear evidence that the systems of checks had identified all of these issues.

The registered manager was aware of the areas requiring improvement and had an action plan underway to address them. The provider was also investing in the premises and systems to support these improvements.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, helping services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated to drive improvement.

The home worked with other healthcare services and actively engaged with the local community. The registered manager worked closely with local organisations and provider teams to support improvement and share learning.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation, and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative approaches to delivering equality of experience, outcomes, and quality of life for people, and actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The registered manager ensured that learning took place following incidents such as accidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints, or feedback. Information about learning was shared with both people and staff. However, further work was needed to ensure that lessons learned were fully embedded in practice and that systems allowed for effective oversight of these matters.