Ambito Community Services East Midlands

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 82 (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.

Leaders set a clear vision and positive culture. Values and behaviours for staff were in place. Values were highlighted at the beginning of the staff handbook and induction booklet and were discussed in each staff supervision meeting where specific examples of staff behaviours under the values were noted and discussed.

Families praised the ethos of the service. A relative said, “They are dedicated as a whole team, caring and kind.” Another family member said, “They nurture everybody as a family.”

Staff listed multiple examples of where they had worked in line with their values and were clearly aware of the standards of care that were expected of them when supporting people who used the service. A staff member commented, “The company ethos is good with staff caring about the people we support to live a good life.”

Leaders were skilled, compassionate, and inclusive. Leaders monitored the service closely and took action to improve the service. A registered manager was in place.

Families consistently praised the manager. A relative said they were, “A fantastic manager… very astute if things go wrong.” Another relative said, “We trust them completely.”

Leadership was described as strong, supportive and visible. A staff member commented, “[The registered manager] has been an incredible support to me over the last few years whilst I’ve faced my own struggles.” Another commented, “I am very comfortable raising concerns with my manager, they always listen and help me to find a way of dealing with whatever the issue is.” Staff praised managers for being approachable, knowledgeable and willing to work alongside them during busy periods. We saw several examples where staff were able to share concerns and ideas with the manager, demonstrating open and transparent relationships. Team meeting minutes showed management identified areas of concern and clearly stated their expectations of staff with a strong focus on the people using the service.

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

People felt able to speak up and raise concerns. Staff were confident raising issues with management and felt they would be acted upon. A staff survey had been completed.

Staff were confident about raising concerns and told us they felt safe to speak up. They said managers were approachable and always willing to listen. Staff understood the organisation’s whistleblowing procedures, which were displayed in the office and available via digital systems. They were clear about how to escalate concerns if they felt people were at risk.

A team building day and a wellbeing update shared with staff included information on psychological safety at work and emphasised the importance of a safe environment for people to speak up.

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 were in place to support workforce equality. Documentation showed that the provider ensured that reasonable adjustments were in place for staff where appropriate.

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.

There were effective governance and management systems. Notifications were made to the CQC as appropriate. Clear governance processes were in place, and a comprehensive audit schedule was followed to monitor the service.

Professionals expressed confidence in the service and reported no concerns. They described the service as well organised and responsive. One professional flagged occasional communication challenges by telephone, but this did not impact their confidence in the service overall.

A range of polices were in place regarding information governance and the use of information which included easy read information. This included guidance on the use of social media.

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 others for people’s benefit. Processes were in place to ensure suitable referrals to other community partners and agencies and had been appropriately followed by staff.

The provider focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation.

The service was committed to continuous learning and improvement. Staff completed a range of audits and improvement work. The provider had learning programmes which were available to staff to support them in their chosen career paths and specific training was available for managers and leaders to promote high performance.