STEPS

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 changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 89 (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 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. Staff and leaders were highly driven to providing an excellent and reliable service, which gave people every opportunity to regain confidence and daily living skills. The providers value base were hope, connection, relationships, inclusion, flexibility and rights and were authenticity embedded into everyday practice. Every member of staff and external professionals we spoke with demonstrated that STEPS were highly focused on possibilities, dreams and aspirations, helping people to maintain their value within their community. A member of the management team said, “We aim to provide support in an enabling environment facilitating independence, involvement, privacy, dignity and safety while respecting the person’s home. We respect the rights of the individual and promote equality. We give positive choice and stimulation ensuring the service user has a voice and is listened to.” Another member of the management team said, “We aim to provide support in an enablement environment, promoting independence, involvement, privacy, dignity and respect and safety. We respect the rights of individuals, promote equality, we give positive choice and stimulation, we give service users choice and ensure they are listened to.”

The provider 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. People received a tailor-made service from an exceptionally well-led team of staff. The registered manager and staff were extremely passionate and committed to providing high-quality, person-centred care. The registered manager exhibited very strong leadership skills and excelled within the organisation to achieve consistently high standards. Leaders understood their responsibilities relating to the duty of candour and being open and transparent and had a passion for providing the best support possible. One relative said, “The manager is very good and has told me that they are there to help and all I have to do is ask. I would say they [STEPS] did their very best and I would give them 5 stars.” One staff member said, “We have regular team meetings, where an agenda is put out a few weeks before so staff can put down what they want discussing, there are also our supervisions and appraisals. I've not experienced any problems with feedback, we get a copy of the minutes and if my manager doesn't know the answer, they will get back to you at a later point.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had access to a whistle blowing policy. Staff were confident appropriate actions would be taken if any concerns were raised.Staff felt supported to speak up, knowing the provider would want to know if something was wrong, to enable them to action concerns quickly.

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. A member of the management team said, “I like to be fair and consistence with my team and ensure everyone is working in the same way. I like to give my staff the opportunity to voice their opinions and positively challenge each other.” Another member of the management team said, “Equality and diversity are promoted through learning and development of staff which includes me. Equality and diversity are a mandatory training for all staff. Staff can adapt to embrace different cultures. I have observed staff in numerous calls of different cultures and are excellent in promoting equality and diversity.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider had a robust governance system which assisted the registered manager to carry out audits to ensure the providers standards were maintained. Spot checks were completed frequently, to ensure staff carried out their duties correctly and to make sure people were happy with the care they received. Any concerns were swiftly acted on and resolved. Leaders work with partners in the system to achieve cohesive plans that support people and local communities. STEPS provided each person with a case manager who was assigned to them at the onset of their support and remained in place while the person received support from STEPS. The provider worked collaboratively with external professionals to ensure people received optimum support which fully embraced and met their needs and supported their aspirations.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The registered manager attended the ‘home first’ forums which was a multi organisational initiative to improve partnership working and enhanced individual support packages for people. A person with lived experience of being supported by STEPs also joined in with the forums and influenced changes to best practice within the service. Their knowledge and experience in accessing services contributes to future support packages. External professionals gave positive feedback about their experience of working in partnership with STEPS. One professional said, “Overall, STEPS is a valued partner within Doncaster’s discharge and urgent response system. The service contributes positively to safe systems and transitions, supports independence and wellbeing, and demonstrates strong partnership working under.” Another professional said, “I have excellent working relationship with [registered manager] and their colleagues. We have an open dialog around patient/service user care needs and work seamlessly to create continuity of care.”The registered manager said, “I am registered with ‘skills for care’, I support the ‘making it real board’ and have recently assisted in looking at recruitment to attract more people into social care.”

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. The registered manager showed they analysed events and supported the team to look at what went wrong, what could be prevented and what needed to change in the future. This was done in a nurturing and positive way where the whole team learnt and were part of improving the service. Any concerns identified were used as an opportunity to develop and learn, with the constant desire to ensure people received optimum care and support. The provider had an excellent governance system which demonstrated effective and clear oversight, by adopting an analytical and quality focused approach. Staff and leaders encouraged feedback from people and other stakeholders and used this information to adapt and change the service to accurately meet peoples’ individual preferences and characteristics. Staff and leaders used learning opportunities to reflect on their practice. Staff were supported to develop and enhance their skills continuously, with opportunity for open discussion, and further training. Staff and leaders actively networked with other services and accessed learning resources to keep them up to date with changes in the care system and best practice guidance. This was evidenced in several examples where people had continuously achieved their goals and aspirations. Since our last inspection, the provider had continued to pursue opportunities for improvement, resulting in an outstanding rating.