Fylde and Wyre Short Break 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. 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 registered manager and staff evidenced a good understanding of needs of people using the service and the challenges they faced. We observed kind and caring interactions throughout the inspection and there was a positive listening culture, which resulted in people’s experiences and outcomes being improved.

We found there to be a clear person-centred culture at the service which focused on enabling people to enjoy their lives. Staff spoke about the importance of providing a holiday experience to people as well as important respite to relatives, which was reflected in what people told us. A message in the provider’s welcome booklet said, “We’re so happy to have you with us. This is your place to relax, have fun, and feel safe. Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve stayed with us before, we want you to feel at home. Our friendly team is here to support you, listen to what you like, and help you enjoy your time in a way that suits you best. You can bring your favourite things, try new activities, or just take it easy. It’s your break, your way.”

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.

The registered manager explained they received ongoing training and support to fulfil their role and had regular supervisions with the area manager. The provider offered developmental opportunities to managers and staff, to support succession planning.

Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and manager, confirming they had the right skills and experience to lead effectively. A staff member told us, “Managers, they are great, approachable, understanding, will accommodate as much as they can and are helpful with support for training.” The registered manager led by example, undertaking the same training as staff and often supporting the team by covering care shifts.

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

Staff surveys were sent out annually, and staff had the opportunity to speak up in team meetings or supervisions. A staff member said, “I feel able to speak up. At staff meetings, we can do own agenda and give it to the managers. We can raise concerns and the registered manager does act on them.”

The provider had robust whistle blowing procedures in place and staff we spoke to knew how to escalate concerns.

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 confirmed they felt well treated by colleagues and managers, and no concerns were raised about any discrimination or inequality towards staff working at the service.

The provider had clear policies and procedures in place to ensure recruitment, staff probation and sickness was managed fairly and non-discriminately. Staff had access to flexible working arrangements if required. A staff member told us, “We can request a flexible rota around the needs of the clients. If we give prior notice, they will accommodate requests as much as possible.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance and acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes.

The provider was in the process of transferring care plans and records onto an electronic care planning system, to help improve governance, oversight and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). There was a robust GDPR policy and staff received training in information assurance and governance.

A detailed service response plan was in place, which included details of the provider’s emergency preparedness for events such as staff shortages, loss of premises or adverse weather.

The registered manager understood the performance of the service and knew what was needed to ensure they delivered safe, good quality care. They carried out weekly checks to help them identify any concerns with IPC, health and safety, staff practice, training, incident management and governance, noting the actions taken in response. Staff were also involved in a variety of regular checks.

Managers had clear roles and responsibilities with regards to oversight at the service and the required audits. However, we found that some of the registered manager’s and manager’s audits were not carried out in line with the scheduled frequencies due to their workload and capacity. The area manager explained they had yet to complete an audit at the service.

Following feedback, the registered manager assured us the frequencies of audits would be reviewed in line with the provider’s policies and service needs and provided an updated schedule.

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 registered manager worked closely with managers from other short break services to share learning. They met regularly and visited each other’s services to see what worked well and to identify improvements which could be implemented service wide. The registered manager also attended local registered manager network meetings to share good practice.

The service had close links with local children’s services and day centres; and collaborated with a range of other health and social care partners to support people’s transitions and reviews. This helped contribute to better outcomes for people. A partner told us, “The service has strong links with other professionals and actively seek to build on existing partnerships.”

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.

Several staff were champions and provided advice and guidance to others on the team about key areas of care. Those who had champion roles confirmed they were given time and resources to carry these out. Other staff spoke about their involvement in regular de-briefs or team meetings and told us they were encouraged to share ideas for improvements.

The registered manager engaged positively with our inspection, acknowledging the areas of improvement we identified and being responsive to making the necessary changes.

Throughout the inspection process, the registered manager gave examples of the innovations and ideas they had introduced or had planned for the future. However, due to the lack of administrative and managerial support at the service they had not been able to fully embed some of these.