Anchor Point Neurological Centre-Inspire Neurocare (Southampton) Limited

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• 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.

The service was going through an improvement phase, and staff we spoke with told us they were kept informed of progress by the manager and felt included. A staff member said, “[Manager] is very open, she says things how it is, but she also provides that support and reassurance. She will say, ‘this is the situation now, this is where we’re going and what we’re doing to get there’.” Staff told us things were “better”, and that it felt like the service was “heading in the right direction.”

Staff told us communication had improved, with improved handovers, daily meetings, more regular staff meetings and supervisions. They told us the culture at the service was welcoming and “open”, and that staff were encouraged to speak up and take part in discussions.

Minutes of resident and relative meetings showed the management team were open with everyone about recent challenges and the steps being taken to improve. A person told us, “Things have improved in the last couple of months since the new manager started. I certainly feel now that my views are listened to by the staff and managers.”

Staff told us they were aware of the provider’s values and of the direction of 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.

People, their relatives and staff, spoke highly of the manager. People told us the manager had made significant changes since they began working at the service. A person said, “Things are better run and well organised. [Manager] has started to sort out the issues from the past.”

Staff told us the management team listened and sought their opinion on improvements. They told us they felt supported, professionally and personally, and that the manager was accessible and easy to talk to. The management team were visible and records showed they were working with staff to make changes to improve the quality and safety of care. A health professional told us, “Management has sought additional external support, strengthened competency assessment processes and demonstrated a commitment to ensuring staff are able to apply their training safely in practice. The management team have been responsive, transparent regarding challenges within the service, and willing to engage positively with investigations and professional discussions. There is clear evidence of improvement and a willingness to learn.”

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

There was a whistleblowing policy, and staff said they felt able to raise concerns and were confident they would be taken seriously. A staff member said “We can always raise concerns or if there is something that bothers us, we can raise it to the senior or the manager. If we’ve witnessed something that’s not good within the workplace, we can raise that without fear of being bullied.”

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.

There was a diverse workforce in place and the provider recognised this and supported staff with any cultural needs. The management team told us they supported any staff who needed to pray and were flexible to accommodate this. During religious festivals, for example when staff might need to fast, the rota was changed to support this. For example, by asking day staff if they would prefer to work night shifts.

Staff did not raise any concerns about discrimination in the workplace. A staff member said, “We all work well as a team and support each other.”

The service had been through a period of instability and stakeholder oversight but was now working to improve the quality and safety of the service provided to people. The management team were open and transparent about recent concerns raised in relation to the safety of people’s care and support. New systems in place ensured more robust oversight, including the provision of additional staff training, competency checks, strengthening of safeguarding processes, and staff supervision. This alongside the provider’s schedule of audits meant there was now more robust oversight of the whole service. Staff told us the management team were supportive, open and visible throughout the service.

Regular audits were carried out, and action plans for improvement were shared with the governance team at monthly meetings. There was ownership of responsibility for improvements. A member of the management team told us, “It really does feel like we are moving in the right direction. Our staff survey in February was mixed, but now there has been huge improvements. Our supervision and appraisal statistics are going up, and the service improvement plan is moving forward.”

However, whilst some improvements had been made regarding overall assurance checks in place, further embedding was required to evidence sustainability, particularly as the service continued to grow and develop.

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 worked closely with a range of external health professionals and had supported the local hospital during an emergency period. The provider had an anniversary party which the local community were invited to attend, and more events were being planned for the future.

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.

There was an open culture of learning and improvement. Staff told us they were encouraged to speak up with ideas for improvement. A staff member said, “We’re encouraged to speak up in our team meetings every month. Even throughout the month, if I have an idea, I’ll email it straight away and [manager] is good at getting back to me. If I say, can I have a minute to talk about this, they will.”

Lessons learned were shared with staff, and staff were aware of the service improvement plan. People, relatives, staff and external health professionals told us the service was improving and that the current management team had made improvements. A person’s relative said, “The new Manager, she's very nice, she knows her stuff. She will do well. She's putting a lot into it. She's turning it around from what it was. I can't think of anything off the top of my head to improve it. There are lots of improvements already happening.” This focus on improvement was apparent during our inspection, and the management team were open and transparent throughout.