Dimensions Somerset Northmead 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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 79 (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 that promoted positive outcomes for people.

Staff morale was good, and relatives described the service as welcoming and supportive. People and their relatives were happy with the service, and staff spoke positively about their work. One staff member told us, “The best thing about my job is the people we support. I love the location and diversity of my work, the staff team are tremendous, they are perfect, never any judgement, we can talk about things openly.”

The registered manager was exceptionally passionate about delivering high standards and compassionate care which empowered people and was person centred.

The registered manager and staff team embodied the culture and values of the organisation. This was reflected in the feedback we received from people’s relatives. The registered manager was described by people’s relatives as, “Really good”, “Brilliant”, “Very approachable” and “Lovely.” Relatives gave examples of the registered manager going above and beyond, such as visiting a person in hospital in their personal time.

Leaders were visible, approachable and well regarded by staff. Staff felt listened to and valued. One staff member told us, “They [managers] are brilliant I have had so much support, they are so approachable if I ever have an issue, I am confident it will be dealt with, they will find resources to resolve it.” The registered manager had been nominated by the provider for an ‘Inspiring people award’. The nomination stated the registered manager had, “Yet again, showed kindness and compassion of the people in their care, but this time, the story centres around a colleague rather than the people we support.”

Leaders promoted equality and inclusion and demonstrated integrity in decision-making. The registered manager felt well supported by the provider.

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

The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place, and staff were aware of it and felt confident to raise concerns. Posters and discussions in team meetings reinforced this message. One staff member told us, “We have the whistle blowing policy on the notice board, we haven't had any incidents here. I have a lot of trust in the staff team.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they were treated equally and fairly and thought it was a good place to work.

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.

There were a range of audits and checks carried out by the provider, registered manager and staff. Areas covered included medicines, the environment and health and safety. The audits identified areas of improvement and had action plans. The provider carried out an annual internal quality review of the service. Where improvements were needed, an action plan was developed. Improvements were ‘signed off’ when they had been completed. Whilst the registered manager completed spot checks on cleaning records and some observational checks relating to the environment during the quarterly health and safety audit, there was no formal infection prevention and control (IPC) audit in place. We discussed this with the registered manager who told us they were working with the provider’s health and safety team to develop an IPC audit.

The provider had an online system which enabled the registered manager and provider to have oversight of the service.

The service had links with the local community and participated in events such as village fairs and festive celebrations. Staff worked with health professionals and local authority teams to support people’s needs, including emergency respite arrangements. We saw a comment from a health professional stating, “I am really impressed with how your team responded to a request I made for emergency respite for someone on my case load. I was really impressed and grateful to how quickly and effectively your team responded to this request. The staff were professional, calm and helpful at all times. The service you provide is invaluable and it meant the person had a safe and welcoming place to stay when they needed it most.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people.

There was a learning culture within the service, the registered manager gave examples of how organisational learning was shared amongst the team. Managers meetings were used as an opportunity to look at incidents and share learning. The registered manager told us, “As an organisation we look at how we can improve.”