Town Close

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 leadership team showed an open and transparent approach. They promoted a positive culture, providing person-centred and effective care and support. Feedback was actively gathered from people using the service, relatives and staff to drive improvements where needed. A person told us “They ask us for feedback. Tenant’s meetings are held regularly, and they keep us informed of changes.”

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.

We found the leaders were passionate and enthusiastic about the service and responsive to the information we requested throughout this assessment. They evidenced the steps taken to promote an inclusive service, which included ensuring service delivery was individualised to meet people’s specific needs. Staff told us they found the management team approachable and supportive.

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

There was a whistleblowing policy in place and staff told us they felt able to raise any concerns and were confident that their concerns would be acted on appropriately by leaders. Leaders promoted an open-door approach, enabling people using the service, relatives and staff to raise queries or issues with them.

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 told us they were treated fairly and felt respected in their roles. Managers were approachable and supportive and encouraged open communication across the team. Staff described a positive culture where colleagues worked well together and felt valued for their contribution.

Staff were given opportunities to develop through regular supervision, staff meetings and ongoing training, which promoted an inclusive work environment. This ensured staff were valued and supported to carry out their roles effectively.

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.

Systems were in place to learn from incidents and help prevent them from happening again. Feedback was also collected through questionnaires, giving people the chance to share ideas and suggest improvements.

An electronic system ensured leaders had oversight of service delivery. The provider had a business improvement plan and a business contingency plan in place to maintain service delivery during emergencies such as staff absence and IT failures.

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 service worked in partnership with community agencies and made appropriate referrals to ensure people received any specialist support they needed. Healthcare professionals who visited the service told us people were happy and well cared for. They told us management and staff were friendly and approachable, and the quality of care provided was good. One healthcare professional told us, “The manager is very professional, approachable, very knowledgeable, and she is consistently quick to respond to requests from myself, service users, and families. Team leaders are approachable and knowledgeable about each tenant, their needs, and the needs of their families, and they contact other professionals promptly.”

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 had effective systems in place to review accidents and incidents and act on them to improve care if required. This helped ensure lessons were learnt and shared.

Staff had opportunities to develop and enhance their skills and knowledge through regular training and learning opportunities. A staff member told us “I get a lot of training both online and face to face. I get plenty of supervisions and feel well supported, my last supervision was 2 weeks ago. I’ve been given the opportunity to complete my level 3”.