8 Acres

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 Inadequate. 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 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

At our last inspection we found closed cultures at a provider and management level of the service were identified. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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 told us about how much the culture had improved since the new management team had taken over the day-to-day running of the service. One staff member said, “We now work as one team, there is very little conflict. We work as a team to give the best care for the people we support. There are so many more activities now, people are getting out a lot more than they were before, and they are so much happier. You can see pure happiness in people’s eyes now.” Another said, “They ask me for ideas, and I have so many. It’s such an open culture; no concerns go under the radar. People really do care.”

At our last inspection we found closed cultures identified at a provider level impacted on the level of compassion shown throughout the organisation. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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.

A relative said, “They have a new manager in place now and they have transformed it. We can talk to them about any issue, and they will act on it so we feel at ease.” Another said, “The manager is really good, will answer the phone or call me back, it’s a big difference to before. They are approachable and we can talk any time. I am involved in everything about my [Relative].” A staff member told us, “[Manager] has made lots of changes, they came onto the floor to understand the problems. We had a recent concern with [person], [Manager] stayed to help. They’re a motivation for us, a good manager.”

The manager told us they felt very supported by senior leaders and had been supported and empowered to make changes in the service.

At our last inspection we identified a number of serious incidents which happened at the service, resulting in staff being injured which had not been reported fully. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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

We observed there were whistleblowing posters and posters with contact details for freedom to speak up guardians on noticeboards around the service. Staff told us they felt able to raise any concerns freely and would be listened to. A staff member said, “Any of the managers, we can speak to them, even if it is not a big thing we have the freedom to express a complaint or a good thing, and they are feeling good too and keeping the trust between the staff and the manager.”

At our last inspection we found people and staff members individual characteristics were not assessed fully to protect them and ensure any additional support, or specialist training was identified and implemented. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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. Equality and diversity training was in place and completed by all staff in the service. The staff team were from a range of diverse backgrounds and the provider and family forum was being used to support people, relatives and staff to understand and support diversity in the workplace.

At our last inspection we identified poor oversight of the governance systems and outcomes in place at the service, and we identified a breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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.

At our last inspection we found care records did not consistently reflect relative’s involvement in their development. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

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 about a local teddy bear festival, where staff and people all made a life sized teddy bear out of straw for a local competition. People were then supported to go and visit all the other bears on display and what characters other participants had made.

At our last inspection we found the provider and leaders were not found to be open to our feedback, or that of people’s relatives to drive improvement or changes within the service, for the benefit of the people who lived there. At this inspection we found improvements had been made

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.

The manager and senior leaders were present during our inspection. They were open to feedback throughout and were keen to drive positive change in the service. Learning from across the wider organisation was shared to drive improvements. The director of quality sent out regular newsletters, in addition to the quality team hosting regular meetings to share lessons learnt or any changes and updates in practice.