The Well Centre

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

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 as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

We found the service had a well-established, inclusive, and positive learning culture that consistently drove improvements in outcomes for patients.

There were clear examples of how a supportive and collaborative leadership style had led to better care and stronger focus on meeting people’s needs.

Governance and management systems helped leaders keep track of risks, performance, and outcomes.

Leaders made ongoing efforts to improve how services were delivered, using feedback from staff and patients to reduce risks and enhance care.

The service contributed to the wider community by sharing their knowledge with other providers in the region and across the UK. This was achieved through training delivered by the lead GP to other organisations and sharing case studies from the service to support training delivered by the NHS. For example, the service shared with NHS England how they developed and delivered an open access model for young people requiring support from a multidisciplinary team. This included case studies that were used by NHS England to develop guidance for multidisciplinary teams for children and young people.

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 service had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

All staff we spoke with felt supported and empowered by senior leaders. We heard examples of when staff had to reach out to the lead clinician out of usual working hours with queries and received timely support. This was particularly evidenced in a safeguarding case which required immediate action and was appropriately escalated with the urgency it required to ensure the safety of one of their patients.

The service analysed the demographics of the boroughs they served to identify how best to engage with and improve outcomes for these populations. This included by offering a variety of treatment sessions to ensure that the optimum level of engagement could be achieved.

The service had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The clinical lead at the service had delivered training at both local and national levels as well as within the service itself.

Learning was proactively encouraged in all staff members, with each staff member a designated champion in a particular condition or treatment.

All staff we spoke with felt supported and empowered by senior leaders. In addition to this, there was a comprehensive induction plan to starting work at the service, including shadowing and supervision opportunities.

Staff we spoke to said leaders supported them in relation to their career development, and we saw evidence of successful career progression within the service.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The practice had a named Freedom to Speak up guardian. Staff knew how to raise concerns or make suggestions for areas of improvement. For example, staff had made suggestions to ensure they had sufficient time to dedicate to service users during appointments.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them.Policies and procedures to promote diversity and equality were in place. The service fostered an inclusive culture by encouraging staff to contribute to the development of the service during open staff forums, away days and regular team meetings. Staff we spoke with said they would feel confident in asking for adjustments if needed.

The service 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.

Leaders and managers supported staff, and all staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Managers met with staff regularly to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes that were appropriate for their service. Staff could access all required policies and procedures. Managers held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed clinical concerns and emerging risks. Managers clearly recorded any actions arising from these meetings and ensured they shared these with staff. Staff took patient confidentiality and information security seriously.

The service clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The service was highly committed to multi-agency working and liaised with a wide variety of agencies associated with the young people they served. This included other healthcare providers, schools, Youth Offending Service, and training providers. Health and Wellbeing Practitioners also held positions within secondary care locations to help young people to engage with treatment for chronic health conditions.

The service contributed a case study to recent NHS guidance by sharing their approach to working as part of a multidisciplinary team for young people and children.

The service 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.

This was a unique service as it encompassed physical, psychological and social well-being. Leaders demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and making a similar service available to young people across the country. This included a plan to “scale up” and open similar services in other areas of high deprivation.

Learning was delivered at local and national levels by the clinical lead on adolescent mental health. The service conducted monthly educational meetings where a member of staff or external guest presented a subject of their choice. Dedicated champion roles were introduced so members of staff could complete extra training on a topic of interest and share this learning with their colleagues.

The service conducted journal reviews with staff to ensure that evidence-based practice underpinned the service they provided.

The service worked in collaboration with young people to improve patent experience and provide the most up to date suitability when creating marketing materials. For example, they collectively designed the new poster for the service, focusing on inclusivity and those who identify as non-binary (by the removal of blue and pink stereotypical colours).