Doncaster Community Support

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.

The service was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to governance Improvements were found at this assessment and the service was no longer in breach of this regulation.
 

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. Staff and leaders were clear about the providers mission, vision and values. Staff explained what the provider’s values meant to them, in their roles. One staff member said, “I ensure people with learning disabilities have a voice in their care and make choices that matter to them. I promote independence by supporting daily living skills and encouraging social inclusion. I advocate for service users if they face discrimination or challenges accessing services.”

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 registered manager was supported by service manager’s whose responsibility it was to oversee the day to day management of a supported living service. Service managers told us they felt supported by the registered manager and they worked well together to ensure a good standard of care and support was offered to people. Some service managers were being supported to complete a management course. Staff told us the management team were supportive and approachable. One staff member said, “My manager supports and acts quickly to any concerns of poor culture and people’s care. Support is very good.”

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Accidents and incidents were recorded, reported appropriately and analysed to ensure trends and patterns were identified. Actions were taken to mitigate future risks, and learning was shared between staff and leaders to improve the service. Staff knew what action to take to report incidents and leaders involved them in shared learning. Leaders were knowledgeable about their duty of candour and ensured they were open, honest and transparent when things went wrong.

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. Policies and procedures were in place to support staff and to ensure they were happy at work. Service manager’s spoke about reasonable adjustments they had made for some staff to ensure they were supported in line with the providers equality and diversity policies.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Accidents and incidents were recorded, reported appropriately and analysed to ensure trends and patterns were identified. Actions were taken to mitigate future risks, and learning was shared between staff and leaders to improve the service. Staff knew what action to take to report incidents and leaders involved them in shared learning. Leaders were knowledgeable about their duty of candour and ensured they were open, honest and transparent when things went wrong.

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. Staff told us how they worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people were included in their communities and had access to relevant services. For example, people had access to day services, sport and recreational activities and volunteering opportunities. One staff member said, “We teach service users how to safely use public transport or access community facilities independently. We work with local businesses charities, collaborating with local organisations to create inclusive activities and job opportunities.”

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 provider carried out satisfaction surveys and gave people and their families several opportunities to share their feedback. Intelligence gathered was used to improve the service.