Ashley Drive

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 inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to 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.

People and their relatives consistently provided positive feedback about staff and the caring, supportive approach they demonstrated. The provider had established internal networks for registered managers to promote a shared vision, values, and culture across all registered services. This supported leaders to embed person-centred practices and ensure care was delivered in line with current best practice guidance. A senior manager told us, “We discuss Right Care, Right Support, Right Culture principles with our managers in team meetings and what this means for our service delivery, and how we deliver person centred services to meet people’s needs.”

The provider had plans to further strengthen learning and continuous improvement by sharing examples of good practice and discussing outcomes linked to these principles at future management meetings.

Professionals and relatives told us they had seen positive improvements within the service over the previous six months. Feedback indicated the leadership team had fostered a more positive and welcoming culture which benefitted people, relatives, and external professionals. A person's relative told us, “[The service] has always been friendly, however, it now feels even lighter, more welcoming. It feels really good.”

A professional commented, “It has been positive to see staff at Ashley Drive embrace, help and work to develop stronger relationships with me and my team over the last few months.”

This feedback demonstrated the provider’s commitment to learning, collaboration, and continually improving the culture 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.

The service had recently been supported by a new management team following identified shortfalls in safety, oversight and governance. Staff spoke positively about the support they received from leaders and told us this gave them the “confidence” to carry out their roles effectively and meet people's needs. Relatives told us they felt able to approach the new management team if they had any concerns. This meant people experienced care from a staff team supported by transparent leaders.

While feedback about the visibility and responsiveness of leaders was positive, some relatives felt communication could be further strengthened.

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

Staff had access to a whistleblowing policy. Team meeting records, supervision and information around the service evidenced multiple opportunities where staff could speak up if they needed too. However, team meeting records did not always evidence staff’s views and their attendance at meetings. We noticed an improvement in minutes completed in more recent months.

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 had access to an up-to-date equality, diversity and inclusion policy, and were trained in equality, diversity and inclusion to support them, in their roles. Staff confirmed they felt they were treated equally. A staff member told us, “Yes, the manager is approachable and fair to all staff. They listen to our concerns, support us when needed, and treat everyone with respect and equality.”

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.

Following a safety incident in early 2026, the provider implemented strengthened systems, processes, and oversight arrangements to improve the safety and quality of care. An interim management team undertook a comprehensive review of the service and identified areas where governance and operational oversight required improvement. Leaders worked collaboratively with external partners to address these issues and ensure people received safe, effective, and person-centred care.

A range of quality assurance activities had taken place to monitor service performance and drive improvement. This included a comprehensive review of people's care and support arrangements to ensure risks were appropriately managed and people remained safe.

The provider completed health and safety and weekly medicines audits to assure safety in the service.

Leaders had plans to implement a renewed framework of routine audits and checks to provide ongoing oversight of the service. This included care records, infection prevention and control (IPC) and monthly medicines audits to support sustained improvement and identify any concerns promptly. This meant the provider was taking steps to be assured of the overall safety and quality of the service and meet current best practise in line with ‘Right Care, Right Support and Right Culture’.

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.

Professional partners all agreed the service had improved their working relationships with them in the last year. A professional told us, “Following staff changes, I have noticed improvements in responsiveness to concerns, advice and guidance.” This meant people received effective, joined-up 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. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Leaders demonstrated an open and transparent approach when discussing the service and were responsive to our feedback during the inspection. The provider shared their continuous improvement plan which had been created from ongoing quality assurance activities and feedback from partners, people and their relatives. A professional told us, “There has been a notable and rapid improvement across the provider and the setting.”

The provider acknowledged areas where further improvements were required and were aware of the actions needed to drive these forward. This helped to create a culture where learning and improvement were encouraged, and people, relatives, and staff could be confident concerns and feedback were listened to and acted upon. This meant people were supported by a leadership team committed to improving the quality and safety of the service.