Helena Road

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. 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 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.

Policies were in place covering equality and diversity, and the registered manager was able to tell us how they met the needs of both staff and people with regard to this. For example, people were supported by staff with a shared cultural heritage. Staff told us it was a good place to work. A member of staff said, “I really enjoy it here. I am quite comfortable here.”

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.

There was a registered manager in place who was responsible for the day to day running of the service. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and the working atmosphere at the service. A member of staff said, “[Registered manager] cares about the service. They are hands on. They are supportive.” Another staff member said, “I think they are one of the best managers I have had. They are very open.”

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

There were opportunities for people to speak up. Residents’ meetings were held where people could discuss matters of importance to them. People were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans so the reflected their needs. The provider had a complaints procedure so people could raise concerns formally if they wished, with a clear process to be followed by the provider. Staff also had the opportunity of speaking up, for example, through team meetings. A member of staff said of these meetings, “We talk about their [people] health, any activities or trips we can plan. We talk about safety and safeguarding; we talk about teamwork.”

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.

We saw that the provider promoted diversity. The staff team came from a diverse cultural background, reflective of the area in which the service was located. The provider had a policy on equality and diversity to help guide practice in this area. We saw that staff recruitment was caried out in line with good practice in relation to equality and diversity.

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 provider had various quality assurance and monitoring systems to help drive improvements at the service. The registered manager carried out a monthly audit that covered medicine, staff training, risk assessments and health and safety. A senior manager from the provider carried out a six-monthly audit of the premises and staffing levels. The provider had not carried out surveys of people or relatives, but the registered manager told us they planned to introduce this in 2026.
 

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 told us they attended a provider form run by the local authority. They said these forums discussed developments in the care sector and sometimes had guest speakers, for instance, from the district nursing service. The provider was also a member of Skills for Care.

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.

The registered manager told us some of their plans for improvements to the service. Although they told us staffing levels were satisfactory, they were in part relying on agency staff. They had identified the service needed permanent staff and had agreed with the provider that they could recruit 4 new permanent staff. They were in the early stages of this and told us this should lead to continuity with staffing at the service and help to provide better care and support. At the time of inspection, the registered manager did not have independent access to any funds to buy anything. Whatever was required, they had to go through a third party, even for basics like food, towels and cutlery. They told us this situation was changing soon, and they would have access to funds.