Red Brick 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 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 71 (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.New staff received support and training which helped them to demonstrate the provider’s values in their daily work with people. Staff members’ comments included, “The expectations of what standards are required are clear for staff”, “The best thing about working here is the feeling you get from the work with people” and “I enjoy work very much.”

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. A staff member commented, “The organisation and manager have been very supportive and encouraging with progression, they have been flexible.” Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. People, staff and professionals were complimentary about the manager. Their comments included, “I would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the manager if needed”, The manager, is very approachable, they are new here” and “The lady in charge, [manager], they are on the ball, they read between the lines.”

Staff at the service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.The provider had a clear whistle blowing policy. Staff could raise concerns, and written information was available of how to do this. Staff meetings took place, and staff had the opportunity to share comments and give feedback. People were informed of the complaints procedure when they started to use the service and at meetings. A staff member commented, “There is a good level of communication with families, most concerns can be resolved informally.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they were able to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made to their working patterns for specific needs, for example to incorporate family commitments.

The provider ensured the governance was effective and robust, including the monitoring of the quality-of-service provision. The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. Improvements had been made by the manager to ensure governance was more effective and robust, including the monitoring of the quality of service provision. The manager acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Regular audits and checks were carried out in the main areas of the service, such as, around care records, health and safety and staff practice. Audits showed action was taken where areas of improvement were identified. However, we advised some audits needed to be more effective and more frequent, with spot checks of the environment and staff interaction with people to ensure the quality and safety of service provision.

Staff at the service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. All professionals fed back the service worked in partnership with them. A professional commented, “I am always invited to take part in their multi-disciplinary meetings to discuss any residents I am involved with.” The management team were positive about their links with local partners and health and social care teams. The provider and registered manager had grown their networks with partnership agencies and charities. They took a pro-active and practical approach to involving themselves in local and national projects and initiatives.

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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. There was evidence of changes that had been made to the service to make improvements and to address checks and audits outcomes and in response to people and staff feedback. External quality assurance arrangements were in place to monitor the internal governance systems.