London Borough of Merton - Supported Living Service

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 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 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.

The provider shared a vision of person-centredness. People’s independence was promoted, and the involvement of relatives was welcomed. One relative told us, “I am struck by the warmth or the relationship that exists between the staff and those in their care. This sort of attitude is one that filters down through an organisation in my experience.”

Team meetings and managers meetings were used to inculcate a shared vision for the direction of the service. Staff received an induction and handbook, so they understood the providers values. The provider shared success stories on its internal and external websites to role model good practice and inspire staff.

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.

Staff felt supported in their roles, enjoyed their work and worked well together. One member of staff told us, “I enjoy my work. It’s really good. The staff and people are lovely.” Another member of staff said, “The team works well together. We are close knit.” A third member of staff told us, “Our seniors are so helpful. The registered manager is visible and approachable too.”

Leaders were supportive and encouraging. One member of staff told us leaders were, “Helpful. You can express your needs and what you need help with. I can talk about issues, people, and training needs.” Another member of staff said, “Me and the team share views in team meetings, and the management takes it on. So that encourages you to share your ideas again the next time.”

The provider supported the well-being of staff. Staff attended de-brief meetings following incidents where their welfare was checked. Staff had access to a confidential helpline through which they could discuss any issues worrying them, and an external counselling service was available to staff who required support.

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

The provider encouraged staff, people and their relatives to speak up. The registered manager held staff team meetings. Staff felt confident and comfortable sharing their views at team meetings. This included when there were differences of opinion. One member of staff told us, “We have team meetings every couple of months. We sit in a horseshoe at our team meetings and we all talk. We share our views. Some views get implemented when they aren’t seniors explain why. They don’t fob you off.”

The people’s voices were heard. People made choices about how they received care and support each and participated in planning future activities. People had individual keyworkers assigned to them. Keyworkers are members of staff with specific responsibilities including one-to-one activities, shopping, arranging appointments and supporting people to maintain relationships. The provider supported people to speak up and to make informed decisions by using accessible formats such as pictorial materials. These included pictorial shopping lists, menu plans, care records and accessible tenancy agreements. When required they provider also supported people’s access to advocacy services to support decision making.

Relatives felt informed, involved and listened to. One relative told us, “I regularly get emails letting me know what is happening and how [family member] is. When I visit the staff will take time to talk to me and I never feel they are rushing to finish with me as they probably have lots of other things to do.” Another relative said, “If I have a question, it is always addressed very quickly.”

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.

People receiving care and support had diverse backgrounds. The composition of staff was diverse too. One member of staff told us, “It’s diverse here. Staff are from everywhere. There’s no conflict. No problems. We have a unified team.” The staff teams across each of the supported living locations were made up of individuals from a range of national, cultural and religious backgrounds. This meant that people’s individual needs and preferences could be more readily identified and met. Staff told us they were treated equally and fairly by leaders.

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.

The registered manager ensured effective oversight and good governance. A range of audits were undertaken by leaders to check the quality of people’s care and support. These checks included audits of care records, training, supervision and rotas. The environments of the care service were also checked in relation to health and safety, food safety and infection prevention and control.

Staff were appropriately led and organised at each supported living location to meet people’s needs. One relative told us, “The facility where my [family member] lives feels well organised and run in a way that feels like the staff know what they are doing and what their responsibilities are.” Each location was led day-to-day by a senior member of staff whose responsibilities included organising staff, reporting repairs and carrying out quality checks. Additionally, a member of staff was designated shift leader for each shift. They had responsibility for ensuring specific tasks were carried out and aspects of people’s care and support were met. These included attending appointments with health care professionals.

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.

The provider worked in partnership with others to meet people’s needs. For example, to meet people’s health needs staff made referrals to, and worked collaboratively with health and social care professionals. These included GPs, social workers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and psychologists. People had up-to-date hospital passports which contained important information about people’s health and communication needs should they require hospital admission. The provider also worked with learning disability nurses at the local university teaching hospital to ensure people were well supported when admitted to hospital.

Within the wider community the provider liaised with a range of entities to ensure people’s active participation. For example, staff supported people to access colleges, day centres, voluntary and paid employment, colleges, libraries, social and drama groups and a football club. This meant that people participated in the life of their local communities.

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 encouraged learning and development throughout the organisation. Staff were supported to attain the care certificate. The care certificate is a nationally recognised qualification which develops staff skills and knowledge in 15 areas across social care, including safeguarding and person-centeredness. Senior staff and management received leadership training including leading teams, supervising, appraising, chairing meetings and medicines management.

The provider organisation offered the opportunity for professional development by offering the opportunity to pursue courses leading to professional qualification in social work and occupational therapy. This promoted a culture of learning and sharing best practice in care and support.