Gerard Road

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 had initiated some new processes to ensure the service maintained a positive and inclusive culture. Discussions around culture and the provider’s values were discussed in staff one to one sessions. Audits completed by the area manager had also been changed, to ensure different staff were involved in the auditing processes and night staff were also involved. The registered manager had processes in place to help staff reflect on the culture in the service and identify any poor practice.

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. The registered manager was supported by team leaders and an area manager. Communication between the team was good and inclusive.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had access to the whistle blowing policy and told us they would use this if required. The principles of the whistle blowing policy was to take all concerns seriously, act on them promptly, thoroughly investigate them and learn lessons to improve the service and experience for all concerned. Staff also had a whistle blowing hotline they could call or email which provided an additional place they could raise concerns anonymously.

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. Policies and procedures were in place to ensure equality in the workplace. Risk assessments were in place for staff who required additional support. Staff were involved in annual surveys and the results shared. Measures had been introduced to help night staff feel more included. For example, personal invites to parties and events which took place at the service were sent to night staff to make them feel more involved.

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. Governance systems were in place to ensure the service was monitored and issues identified. A series of quality audits took place at regular intervals to ensure the service was meeting the standards expected from the provider. Any issues raised as part of this process were actioned in a timely way. An overarching action plan was in place and issues identified had been addressed in a timely way and signed off as completed.

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 how they worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people were included in their communities and had access to relevant services.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.