NAViGO Health and Social Care CIC

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

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained as outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the service culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles exceptionally well. Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they applied to the work of their team, and staff we spoke with embodied this. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. Governance processes operated effectively and robustly. Performance and risk were managed well and had strong oversight from senior leaders. Teams had access to the information they needed to provide safe and effective care. Staff collected, analysed data about outcomes and performance. They used this to identify improvements which were continuous.

This service scored 96 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. 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. Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values and how they were applied in the work of their team, referencing values throughout discussions with them.

The older adults’ senior leadership team had successfully communicated the provider’s vision and values to the frontline staff in this service and maintained good morale throughout each ward, which was reflected during our observations. Staff told us that they had the opportunity to contribute to discussions about the strategy for their service, especially where the service was changing and took part in away days, team meetings and forums to do so.

The service actively promoted inclusivity within both workforce and patients and held a Pride talent show to engage LGBT+ community members. This was featured within the Navigo information magazine which also outlined the shared visions and values of the services and actively promoted staff to be involved in shaping these.

Managers revisited shared direction during appraisals and supervisions and all staff were clear on what these were (three pillars: somewhere to live, somewhere to work and someone to love, nothing about us without us, humility to hear, professional curiosity, the right thing is not always the ‘expected’ thing, environments that value recovery and empowerment, we are all equal and that the service remains rooted in our community).

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. 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.

We found that leaders had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles to a high standard and inspired their staff. We spoke with members of the senior leadership team who demonstrated an excellent understanding of the services they managed. They knew patients’ names, could identify where people were in their care journey and how to reach discharge. They could explain clearly how the teams were working to provide high quality care and were proud of their staff.

Staff told us that leaders were always visible in the service and approachable for patients and staff. We observed a manager leave to attend a ward as a patient had asked for them by name and this need was met without hesitation.

Leadership development opportunities were available and encouraged. This was evident from speaking to staff who had developed their careers from support staff to operational manager level. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and staff felt seen, valued and supported.

We scored the service as 3. The evidence showed a good standard. The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The service circulated information about how staff can speak up, reminding staff this meant raising anything that doesn’t feel right or ways things could be done better— from safety concerns to workplace culture. The service ensured staff knew this was open to everyone: clinical, non-clinical, permanent, temporary, or bank staff. All concerns were handled professionally, respectfully, and confidentially. Staff we spoke with told us that speaking up helped to improve care, strengthen teams, and create a safer workplace. Staff knew how to access their freedom to speak up guardian, however staff we spoke with told us that they felt they could raise concerns directly with their managers. We reviewed 3 whistleblowing concerns which highlighted that issues were investigated, reported and discussed at senior level. Feedback was always encouraged, posters around the wards ensured patients and carers knew how to raise concerns.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who work for them.

Navigo have a very successful international recruitment programme which had fostered inclusion, diversity and equality throughout the wards. Staff were supported in all aspects of relocating and working within the UK. The service was aligned to PCREF (patient and carer race equality framework) and demonstrated cultural sensitivity, respect and understanding.

We spoke with members of staff from the BAME community who expressed how supported they felt by their teams and leaders. The service regularly reviewed and monitored equality to ensure diversity and inclusivity were adhered to. Staff we spoke with told us of the outstanding support they received during their transition to the UK and support with integration into the local community and workforce.

Staff are able to apply to work flexibly and evidenced within part time roles within the staffing and MDT. Managers put reasonable adjustments in place for staff members to help them carry out their role and supported staff where needed or requested.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate.

There was clear and robust oversight of the older persons inpatient services which was maintained through multiple forms of governance. Systems of accountability included an Integrated Governance Structure, senior management team meetings, senior operational managers meetings, quality clinicalgovernance committeeand corporate governance committee. The service also included oversight from the people andorganisationaldevelopment committee, safeguarding committeeand membership board.

Senior operational managers meetings were responsiblefor strategic oversight, performance management, and governance of clinical services. The meetings ensured high-qualitypatientcare was delivered effectively across services. This ensured managers had the opportunity to oversee and review operational policies and procedures, enhanced trainingrequestsand serviceredesignand transformation.

The Quality and Clinical Governance Committee set the strategic direction for clinical governance and clinical risk management on behalf of the Board. The Committee had an annual work plan for receiving reports, minutes and briefings from groups and specialist leads who have a clinical governance remit. The principal functions provided assurance to the Community Interest Company Board on patient safety, clinical effectiveness, patient experience, serviceimprovementand continuous quality improvement. This included quarterly Integrated Performance Reports and committee members had access to this information to review by exception on a monthly basis, for key quality and safety indicators on a dashboard, which was updated every evening. The committeehad responsibility forthe approval and monitoring of aligned policies

The service also received oversight from the Corporate Governance Committee who held oversight of the corporate functions of the organisation/services. This ensured that the organisation met the necessary standards of accountability, probity, and openness. The committee oversaw finance, audits, information governance, health and safety, sustainabilityand GDPR and corporate risk management, capital and estates and digital strategy groups. Actions were addressed at each meeting and communicated back to teams.

Staff knew the arrangements for working with other teams, both within the provider and externally, to meet the needs of the patients such as social workers, future care placements and allied health professionals. Staff maintained and had access to ward risk registers at ward level and could add identified or potential risks. Staff at ward level could escalate concerns when required. We reviewed the ward risk registers which were updated regularly and robust.

The older persons services had clear plans and strategies for emergencies, some examples included business continuity plans, fire evacuation procedures, adverse weather, infrastructure issues and flu outbreaks. Where cost improvements were taking place, they did not compromise patient care and carers gave us examples of where the service had purchased specific equipment to ensure their loved ones’ needs were met quickly. We also saw evidence that Navigo were responsive in replacing damaged items without delay.

Staff had access to the equipment and information technology needed to do their work. The information technology infrastructure, including the telephone system, worked well and helped to improve the quality of care with recent improvements to the estates helpdesk for quicker reporting and resolving of issues on the wards that required attention.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. 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. Directorate leaders engaged with external stakeholders such as commissioners and Healthwatch.

The older persons services regularly liaised with Healthwatch and any issues raised were discussed through quarterly engagement sessions and within the monthly Healthwatch Intelligence reporting. The service strengthened specialist support to local care homes and appointed a dedicated learning disability link worker, who ensures people with learning disabilities and cognitive decline get timely help from the right service. The team also contributes regularly to Continuing Professional Development programs, sharing expertise and educating other professionals.

The service also had close partnership working with FOCUS (the independent adult social care Provider in North East Lincolnshire) to ensure that issues with discharges and social care elements were addressed and actioned.

The service had strong community links and engaged local communities in events to raise awareness for mental health causes, giving back to the patients’ local communities and ensuring good ties. Patients, carers and staff could meet with members of the provider’s senior leadership team and commissioners to give feedback on all aspects of care.

We scored the service as 4. The evidence showed an exceptional standard. 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff were given the time and support during regular supervisions and appraisals to discuss opportunities for improvements and innovation and this led to changes from a nurse led perspective, an example of this was the ‘You Said, We Did’ initiative.

The service had a commitment to continuous improvement and used tools such as the staff survey findings to inform changes. In 2025, Navigo introduced weekly ‘We Are Learning’ communication bulletins. As the ‘We Are Learning’ people promise theme was the lowest scoring for the organisation within the NHS staff survey results (although still the top score for a mental health provider), the communication bulletins ensured staff were sighted on the learning that is continually being progressed by the organisation.

Older Persons wards were aligned to The Mental Health Quality Improvement project supported by the Royal College of Psychiatrists aimed to improve the quality of mental health services by identifying gaps, implementing evidence-based interventions, and enhancing patient outcomes through continuous improvement methodologies across older persons services.

The service had plans in place for the next year to introduce a day activity group at Tees House, with the aim of improving the well-being and social engagement of older adults on the unit. This initiative was to provide structured, tailored activities that meet individual needs, fostering inclusion and a sense of community. This would provide a valuable community resource by establishing a clear referral pathway, to reduce hospital admissions and readmissions through ongoing support and social interaction and support earlier discharges, enabling patients to transition smoothly back into the community with continued engagement and care.

The service had a ‘going the extra mile’ initiative in place, which embedded the expectation that this is normal and what should be expected. Staff had clear understanding of what this meant and felt the care they provided evidenced this.

Feedback about the services innovations included “There is a wonderful sensory room where patients can go to sit in with special, relaxing lighting, watch a relaxing film, listen to relaxing music, a pub, hairdressers and podiatry/beauty parlour where patients can go to have their feet, hands and nails pampered as well as a lovely head, hand, neck and shoulder massage.” The service had also developed a clothes bank, where patients could go ‘shopping’ to pick new clothes which had been donated by staff, previous patients, carers and the community. This was entirely free of charge.

An example of a staff led initiative was the proposal for a purpose-built sensory garden which was developed by the passionate staff working on the Janine Smith Suite (JSS). This was submitted to Navigo Project of the Year 2025, and secured funding.. Designs for the project involved experts from the Navigo Garden Centre, and included sensory and reminiscence elements celebrating the local heritage including a beach element, seating area and planting. This would be opening in early 2026.

The older persons services were committed to involvement and development of ongoing research, including MAGNET (Medication Self-Management in Dementia)that aims to find better ways to support medication self-management for people living with dementia, ADAPT Trial (Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Plasma pTau217)participatingin a largerandomisedcontrolled trial evaluating the use of a simple blood test (plasma p-tau217) within community memory assessment clinics to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, REACTIVE Trial (Cognitive Monitoring App)part of a clinical investigation todetermineif a cognitive monitoring and feedback app (REACTIVE) isaccuratein detecting and predicting cognitive decline in older adults and CANDID (Comprehensive Assessment of Need after Discharge)contributing to research toestablishwhich factors including patient characteristics and support systems that are most critical in helping patients with dementia successfully remain at home for the first six months after an acute hospital discharge.