Archived: Howgate 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 requires improvement. At this assessment 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 64 (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 and culture, but improvement was required to ensure it was embedded throughout the service. The culture was difficult to assess as there had been recent changes in management. Feedback from staff indicated there had recently been a poor culture however there had been improvements and staff felt positive. During our assessment the provider showed evidence of how they had tried to improve the culture including providing additional support for staff. Various policies were in place to support an open culture.

There had been recent changes to the leadership team at the service, staff spoke positively of the interim manager and deputy manager. One staff member told us, “The deputy manager is very friendly and supportive, also the [temporary] manager is very good; and the atmosphere is much more positive now.” However, due to the recent changes the leadership team was not established and did not yet have full oversight of the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider encouraged staff to speak up and we saw evidence concerns were identified through whistleblowing and staff survey results were acted upon. There had been recent changes to the leadership team which had a positive impact on staff feeling they could speak up. Comments from staff included, “Previously staff would not have felt able to speak up but I think they would now” and “I feel able to speak up now but that has not always been the case.”

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.Since the recent changes in the leadership, staff reported they were positive about working at the service and felt they were treated with respect. The leadership team valued diversity and ensured best practice guidelines were followed.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. Due to the changes to the leadership team, the oversight of the quality of the service had not been consistent. There was an overall action plan which included follow up from all audits. Checks and audits were completed regularly and evidenced improvements. However, these had not always been effective as issues we found during the assessment had not been identified, for example, the maintenance of the building. These issues found were acted on and resolved during the assessment process.

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. There was evidence of muti disciplinary working in care records and staff followed guidance from external professionals. We did not receive feedback from external professionals or stakeholders in relation to this during our assessment.

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. The management team was committed to improving the service.