Autumn Lodge

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 79 (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 and management team promoted a positive and inclusive culture that was person-centred, empowering and focused on delivering high-quality, compassionate care. This culture was clearly embedded throughout the service and understood and demonstrated by staff at all levels. One staff member told us, “The culture at the home is good. I think the structure with the deputy carers is working well. I’d be happy to approach any of the management team to raise issues if I had to.”

The management team had also developed strong, inclusive relationships with people's relatives, ensuring they were actively involved in decisions about their loved one's care and support. Relatives were made to feel welcome, valued and included within the service. Staff and the management team highlighted the strong sense of community at Autumn Lodge, with many referring to it as ‘family’.

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 provider and leaders were visible, approachable and consistent in their leadership, leading by example and maintaining a strong presence within the service. Autumn Lodge benefited from a stable and experienced staff team. Both the provider and the home manager demonstrated a clear passion for their roles and a strong commitment to achieving positive outcomes for people. They were dedicated to delivering high-quality care within a warm, family-orientated and homely environment and were highly respected by people, relatives and staff. The provider told us, “We done a lot of work around the environment. We want it to be homely here for people, whilst remaining accessible.” A relative told us, “[The home manager] is just fantastic. I think it’s very well run, I can’t fault the home.”

Staff understood and shared the provider’s vision and values, and leaders had the experience, knowledge and capability to ensure these were translated into practice. The provider also demonstrated a strong commitment to developing future leaders, actively promoting career progression and succession planning across the workforce to support the long-term sustainability and continued improvement of the service.

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

Staff were provided with a range of opportunities to raise any concerns they may have. This included regular team meetings, supervisions and handovers. Staff told us they felt confident in speaking up to raise issues or concerns, and we observed positive interactions between staff and management. One staff member said, “[Management] are present and get involved, which is a good thing. I do feel listened to and would approach management with any concerns if I had any.”

There was a relevant and up to date whistleblowing policy in place for staff to use should this be needed.

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.

The manager demonstrated a strong commitment to working closely with staff to understand their individual needs and making reasonable adjustments to help them carry out their roles effectively. This included appointing a menopause champion who maintained up-to-date knowledge through regular training and shared learning with colleagues. Staff could also attend menopause-focused meetings throughout the year, which were open to all to provide additional support.Staff told us that changes had been made to their working arrangements to better support their wellbeing and work-life balance. We observed a diverse staff team who worked collaboratively and cohesively. Management offered flexibility to accommodate staff member’s personal beliefs and practices, fostering an inclusive working environment. The provider promoted a local BAME support group at the service for any staff who required additional help.

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 provider and home manager had effective quality assurance processes in place that supported the safe and effective delivery of care. These systems enabled the provider to maintain clear oversight of the quality and safety of the service, providing a current understanding of risks and areas requiring attention. These arrangements were used proactively to drive continuous improvement and better outcomes for people. Multiple layers of management oversight helped to ensure that any concerns, shortfalls or opportunities for improvement were identified promptly and addressed in a timely manner. For example, the assistant manager was assigned the responsibility of medicines.

The whole management team were visible and supportive. Staff told us they were readily accessible, including out of hours. The provider had a robust business continuity plan in case of emergencies.

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 and home manager had an open and collaborative approach to working with key stakeholders and partner organisations. Effective partnership working supported the delivery of coordinated, person-centred care and helped to promote positive outcomes for people. We saw examples of the provider working closely with external health and social care professionals to ensure people experienced seamless, joined-up care and support that met their individual needs.

The home also had strong connections with the local community which promoted people’s health and wellbeing. This included visits from the local nursery to share activities, and involvement in a local art group. People were also actively encouraged to be part of the Brighton Festival.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

There was a strong collective commitment across the service to fostering a culture of reflection, continuous learning and improvement. Staff and leaders embraced opportunities to learn from experiences, were open to constructive challenge, and actively welcomed new ideas and perspectives to enhance the quality of care provided.

The provider had built a unique digital supervision system. This technology collated staff supervision notes and carried relevant information forward to the next session, also extracting specific goals, training and development needs. It flagged whether individual performance discussions were needed, for example, in relation to absences or timekeeping. Staff spoke positively about the impact the system had, meaning supervision was meaningful and a true cycle of reflection and improvement.

The provider took an innovative and proactive approach to staff learning by developing training that was both accessible and tailored to the specific needs of the home. The management team had created bespoke training videos, which staff could access before starting work and throughout their time with the service. Staff told us this creative and engaging approach supported their learning and helped them develop the skills and knowledge required for their roles. This had a significantly positive impact on training engagement and completion rates, contributing to consistently high standards of care and positive outcomes for people using the service.