Bales Court

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 our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment, the rating changed to Requires Improvement.

This meant the provider had not always ensured the culture in the service supported the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care, but work was underway to rectify this with a new management team. Further time was required to ensure the new processes required to improve the culture and safety of the service had fully embedded.

This service scored 57 (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.

Following an incident in 2024 that identified failings in the culture and management of the service, a new management team had been brought in who were working hard to make positive changes to the service. Staff had noticed the improvement, with one member of staff telling us, “The new management have only been here a couple of weeks but they’re approachable. They’re making positive changes like the renovation. They’re really open and safe to talk to. The previous manager was nice, but she didn’t act. Some of us were challenging other staff who were being inappropriate, but nothing happened.” Another staff member told us, “When the incident happened it was really difficult, but the management team are really supportive, and we are listened to.” A further staff member said, “Staff are able to communicate better now if they don’t understand anything. Staff are coming out more to talk and making sure they say if they are not happy with something. They will speak to the manager about it. Whereas before you could talk about it but not find any results.”

The manager confirmed that since joining, some previous staff members had been suspended or left the service, which had meant they were able to address the concern regarding the behaviour of some staff members. One of the provider’s support team told us, “The culture here is supportive, and much more open. You see the interactions and it’s amazing.” The regional manager told us, “It’s been a challenge here. I’m more confident now we’ve got the new managers in. I can see there’s been massive improvements. Changing the culture has been the big thing. We’ve reduced the agency. We’re trying to get fresh eyes in staffing wise. The staff are really caring.”

The service was meeting the best practice guidance of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture. The model of care maximised people’s choices and independence, and the care provided was person centred. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 management team were hands on and regularly supported staff on the floor by helping deliver care to people. Despite there being a full staffing team, we observed the deputy manager supporting people throughout the day and staff told us this was a usual occurrence. The manager told us, “[The deputy manager] is so on the ball. She’s so good with picking up stuff and dealing with it then and there. He’s got a see and sort it attitude.” A member of the provider’s support team told us, “[The deputy manager] is very new to the team. She is also very happy to be hands on the floor. She’s on a learning curve but listens and is a great role model. She’s very empathetic with the team.”

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

Staff were encouraged to speak up. The manager told us, “We’ve got the open-door policy.” Staff were regularly informed during supervision meetings where they could find whistleblowing information should they need to use it. Staff told us they felt confident they could speak up to the manager without any concerns of repercussions.

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 was keen to build a culture of empowering staff. They told us, “Previously staff weren’t allowed in the office but now I’m encouraging them as they’re responsible for people’s money now. We’re empowering them.” A staff member told us they felt treated well and there was an inclusive environment.

Staff were supported to manage their work-life balance. The manager had informed staff they were able to submit formal flexible working requests to fit in with the needs of their home life such as childcare. These applications were all being considered and where possible were going to be implemented.

The provider had not identified previous issues with the management and culture of the service. However, they had recently employed a new management team who were implementing clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to improve the standard of care being delivered to people. Further work was required to ensure this was fully embedded in the service.

Bales Court is a supported living service, which means people’s tenancy agreement was a separate arrangement from the personal care they received. We observed people had been supported to log concerns about the building to encourage the landlord of the building to carry out essential repairs and refurbishment. This had resulted in a full refurbishment of the building which meant positive outcomes for people.

The management team were on a journey to improve the culture and processes at the service. Whilst there was still further work to be done to ensure this was fully embedded amongst the staffing team, we were assured that the management team were extremely responsive and committed to resolving any issues identified. This was demonstrated where we identified issues with medicine management which were resolved immediately.

The provider was supplying additional resources from their head office to support the service during their improvement journey. The manager told us, “[The regional manager] comes up every other week. The health and wellbeing lead comes up once a week. We have the internal safety service team who are supporting us, and our internal quality partner calls me every Friday to go through the action plan. He’s really helpful.” The manager had submitted their application to become registered with CQC.

The provider’s action plan was detailed, with clear timeframes and responsibilities. We observed most of the issues identified and recorded on the action plan had been actioned. The management team were continuing to work hard towards completing all of the points on the plan. The manager told us, “Documentation is a problem and its being working on. I know staff do it as I see it happen, but it’s not always recorded. So, I tell them if it’s not recorded, it didn’t happen.”

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 manager complimented their close working relationship with the GP surgery, and described how the surgery was extremely responsive to any queries they had regarding people’s health or wellbeing.

There was a close working relationship with the local authority, with social care professionals regularly visiting the service to support the service on their improvement journey. A social care professional told us, “They are really responsive. I know if I identify something that needs working on, by the next time I speak to them it is completed.”

Other external partners we spoke with were complimentary of the new management team. One partner said, “They’re definitely putting in place procedures which we’ve been trying to put in place for 2 years.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

Regular communication between staff and the management team ensured that any changes being implemented to improve the service were discussed and implemented. This occurred in regular staff meetings and supervisions with staff. The manager told us, “We have staff meetings, they’re monthly. We talk about what’s expected of us, any changes. So that all of us as a team can make Bales Court as it should be.”

The management team had encouraged staff to become ‘champions’ in areas such as hydration and infection control. This gave staff the opportunity to suggest improvements and take ownership for the area they were tasked with. A staff member told us, “Things are better now. At first, we the carers were not involved in anything, but now we are working together.”