East Cambridgeshire Learning Disability Partnership

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

This meant the service was not consistently managed and well-led as statutory notifications were not submitted in line with regulatory requirements. However, leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles. Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they applied to the work of their team. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Performance and risk were managed well. Teams had access to the information they needed to provide safe and effective care. Staff collected and analysed data about outcomes and performance. They used this to identify improvements.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has remained as requires improvement.

We have not awarded this service a score for Well-led.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Well-led.

We have a shared vision, strategy and culture that is based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding and meeting the needs of people and our communities.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service 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.

Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they were applied in the work of their team. The provider’s senior leadership team had successfully communicated the provider’s vision and values to the frontline staff in this service.

The provider demonstrated an inclusive approach to leadership and culture, underpinned by their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2023–2027). Leaders showed a good understanding of the communities they served by collecting and analysing demographic data, including disability (as defined by the Equality Act), age profiles of people using the service, religion and ethnicity.

This information was used to help shape services and ensure they were responsive to the diverse needs of the local population. It supported a culture that recognised and valued diversity, helping to align service delivery with the needs of different groups within the community.

We have inclusive leaders at all levels who understand the context in which we deliver care, treatment and support and embody the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. They have the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively and do so with integrity, openness and honesty.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service 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.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles.

Leaders had a good understanding of the services they managed. They could explain clearly how the teams were working to provide high-quality care. All staff we spoke with told us that leaders were visible in the service and approachable for people and staff. Leadership development opportunities were available, including opportunities for staff.

We create a positive culture where people feel that they can speak up and that their voice will be heard.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The service had freedom to speak up guardians. The provider encouraged an open culture where staff felt able to raise concerns. Survey data from the 2025 LDP People Promise indicated that 77.3% of staff felt safe to speak up about issues within the organisation.

Managers had access to the feedback from people, carers and staff and used it to make improvements.

However, confidence that concerns would be acted upon was significantly lower, with only 39.1% of staff agreeing or strongly agreeing that the organisation would address their concerns if they were raised. This demonstrated a gap between staff feeling able to speak up and having confidence in outcomes.

We value diversity in our workforce. We work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for us.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service 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 demonstrated a commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across the workforce. At the time of assessment, the EDI policy was under review; however, this was supported by an established Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2023–2027).

The strategy outlined 7 key ambitions, including a focus on reducing health inequalities and ensuring people were supported to live healthy, safe and independent lives through timely and appropriate care.

Leaders had systems in place to understand and respond to the diversity of their workforce. They collected and reviewed workforce data, including gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, to inform their approach to inclusion. There was evidence of proactive engagement with staff through a staff network, which had increased activity, including peer support and allyship opportunities.

The provider had implemented EDI-focused learning and development, including the introduction of e-learning modules to improve staff awareness and understanding of inclusion.

The organisation’s people strategy supported workforce wellbeing and inclusion through 4 core themes: attracting, appreciating, developing and supporting staff. Staff told us they were able to apply to work flexibly. For example, flexible working agreements to account for personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities and health issues.

Survey data from the 2025 People Promise (LDP) survey indicated that most staff (78.3%) felt the organisation respected individual differences such as cultures, working styles and backgrounds. However, a lower proportion (60.9%) felt that the organisation took positive action on health and wellbeing, indicating an area for further development.

Managers put reasonable adjustments in place for staff members to help them carry out their role.

We have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. We act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and we share this securely with others when appropriate.

We scored the service as 1. The evidence showed significant shortfalls. The service did not have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. However they did act on information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

Statutory notifications were not consistently submitted in line with regulatory requirements. This meant leaders did not always ensure full compliance with their legal responsibilities, and this required improvement.

However, the provider had established governance processes to support oversight of service performance and quality. Monthly governance meetings were held where key areas such as supervision, appraisal compliance, training, workforce risks, staffing, equality, culture and pay equity were routinely monitored and discussed. Regular team meetings supported clear communication, shared learning and tracking of actions to improve service delivery.

There were effective systems in place to ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of data and records. Information was used appropriately to monitor performance and drive improvements in the quality of care.

Business continuity arrangements were comprehensive. The business continuity plan (2025/2026), completed in September 2025, set out service priorities, key activities, risks, and recovery time objectives. Plans clearly identified responsible leads for managing risks and maintaining service delivery. Documentation was securely stored and accessible via shared systems, with additional backup arrangements in place.

Team managers had access to information to support them with their management role. This included information on the performance of the service, staffing and people’s care.

We understand our duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so our services work seamlessly for people. We share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider demonstrated strong partnership working and active engagement with local communities to improve outcomes for people using the service. As part of their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2023–2027), they worked collaboratively with community groups and partner organisations to develop targeted initiatives. Examples included supporting a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Youth Project, delivering a mental health and wellbeing project for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and working with Virtual Schools to provide tailored opportunities for young people in care and care leavers, including qualifications, volunteering and work experience.

The provider worked closely with advocacy services, including ensuring people had access to independent representation and support.

Systems were in place to support multi-agency collaboration. This included weekly meetings with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to review complex cases and Continuing Healthcare (CHC) arrangements, and fortnightly multi-disciplinary meetings focused on reducing reliance on inpatient services for people with a learning disability and autistic people. These forums enabled shared oversight of individuals at risk, including review of the Dynamic Support Register (DSR), with clear actions agreed across partners.

Feedback from stakeholders was positive, highlighting effective collaboration, strong leadership and well-established working relationships. The provider was described as proactive and responsive, including seeking additional training to enhance practice, for example in relation to Section 117 aftercare.

We focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across our organisation and the local system. We encourage creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. We actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service 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 demonstrated commitment to learning and development, with staff offered continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to support their skills and practice. In addition, they contributed to wider community learning through the Cambridgeshire Skills offer, which provided adult education tailored to local needs. This included English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), essential life skills such as budgeting, and careers advice to support employment and progression. Staff told us there was a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) group that met twice per month as a quality improvement project.

The consultant psychiatrist told us about a research project he had been involved in, related to Dialogue+. Staff also told us they were involved in the national audit for assessment of psychotropic drugs.

However, staff feedback indicated that opportunities for career development were limited. Data from the 2025 People Promise survey showed that only 39.1% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there were opportunities to develop their career. This suggests that while learning opportunities were available, they were not consistently experienced as effective or accessible by all staff.