The White House

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.

There was a culture of openness and inclusiveness at the service. The registered manager gathered the views of people, their relatives and staff by carrying out surveys and holding regular meetings. This enabled the provider to develop a shared vision.

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.

Leaders at the service were compassionate. One member of staff told us, “In this kind of job you need a caring heart and everyone has that here. The manager does too.” Staff understood their roles and the management arrangements were clear. The registered manager was supported in their role by a senior support worker and the nominated individual.

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

Staff told us the registered manager was open to their suggestions about improving the service. The registered manager arranged regular meetings for staff to attend. These were used to discuss people’s changing needs and improvements to their care and support. Minutes were retained of team meetings for later review and to ensure that actions were completed.

Staff felt listened to and heard. One member of staff told us that feedback, surveys and discussions lead to positive changes. For example, following staff speaking up, shift patterns were changed.

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.

People were supported by staff from a diverse range of backgrounds. This included differing faiths, nationalities, ethnicities and language. This meant the provider had the ability to match and meet the diverse needs of people. Staff told us they felt supported and treated equally.

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.

The quality of the service provided to people was regularly checked. The registered manager undertook a range of audits of areas including the home environment, health and safety, staff training and care records. Where shortfalls were identified, action was taken to address them. This meant the provider continuously sought to improve people’s care and support.

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 with external organisations and services to meet people’s needs. For example, staff made referrals to healthcare professionals such as speech and language therapists to assess the safety of people’s swallow and recorded their guidance in care records.

People were supported to access the community. Staff supported people to use a range of local amenities including parks, community centres, shops and cafes.

The provider focused on continuous learning 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 had processes in place to learn and improve. These included quality audits, on-going training and attendance at the local authority provider’s forum, where best practice in care and support was discussed.