Hazel Homes for Autism

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.

Staff were supported to deliver high quality care and support to people in line with the provider’s values. A relative told us, “[Registered manager] makes sure all the staff do their jobs. He’s a very good manager.” The registered manager said. “All this starts from the recruitment process, and we go through a robust process to make sure we employ people who show the values of caring. We have the same vision and goal as a service, and we encourage staff to give feedback about people and what they think is best for them. I use the test that if it’s not good enough for my child, it’s not good enough for anyone.”

Managers ensured staff received training, support and access to policies, procedures and systems, to help them provide person-centred care. They used audits and checks, supervision and staff team meetings to make sure staff understood how the provider’s values should be achieved through their working practices.

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.

Managers were passionate and committed to ensuring that people at the service received high quality, safe care. They were experienced and undertook continuous learning and development to maintain their skills and knowledge.

People spoke highly of managers. A relative said, “[Registered manager] is a good manager. He does his job well. If I had any problem I would call [registered manager].” Another relative said, “[General manager] is humble and patient and listens. She is like a mother figure and if I get upset she listens and understands me as a mother.” A staff member told us, “My team leader is very good, and I feel I can tell her anything and she listens and supports you.”

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

Staff worked closely with people through individual key worker sessions to encourage them to have their say and state their views and concerns about the service. Relatives were comfortable raising concerns with managers and felt listened to. Staff were supported to have their say and make suggestions for improvements. A staff member told us, “I can speak up in supervision and team meetings. At tomorrow’s meeting, we have been asked to bring an agenda.”

Managers made sure staff were given opportunities to raise concerns, without fear or consequence. The registered manager said, “On an individual basis, we have staff having direct access to myself if they have concerns. The safeguarding guidelines make it clear what they must do. During supervision, they have an opportunity to speak up as well.”

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.

Staff were treated equally and fairly at work. They received training to help inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

Staff received the same opportunities to learn and progress in their roles if they wanted this. A staff member told us, “There is equal pay. There is overtime available if we want this. We could move on to more senior positions if we want to. Maybe even managerial jobs.” The registered manager said, “Everyone has access to the same opportunities and there is career progression for staff. As we have opened a new home there is opportunity there.”

Overall, the provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability in place. However, we identified during the assessment that more timely action should have been taken to ensure the gas boiler was serviced within required timescales. The registered manager acknowledged this had been an oversight and had already taken action to ensure the arrangements in place for annual inspections were robust and regularly reviewed by managers. We will check at our next assessment these arrangements have been consistently maintained.

Governance arrangements were in place to support the delivery of good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. Managers carried out checks and audits of the service. Findings from these were used to identify areas for improvement, make necessary changes and support staff to improve their practice.

Managers demonstrated an understanding of regulatory requirements. They were aware of their responsibilities to provide honest information, offer appropriate support, and apply the duty of candour when required.

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.

Managers collaborated with healthcare professionals and followed their guidance and recommendations to support staff learning and improve the safety and quality of the care and support provided to people. A healthcare professional told us, “I can confirm that the service provided at the residential home is safe and high quality…l would praise them for their hard work and cannot find any insufficiency in their care towards the residents.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

Managers sought feedback from people, their relatives and staff to support ongoing learning and improvement. They used this feedback, alongside learning from incidents and the results of audits and quality checks, to drive improvements in the safety and quality of care provided.

The registered manager was proactive in developing links with health and social care providers and networks. They recognised the importance of partnership working to share and learn from good practice, supporting continuous improvement within the service. The registered manager told us, “It brings a lot of value as it’s information and knowledge sharing. I can talk to people in my groups, and we can share any problems we are facing and share learning and ideas about how we might address these.”