Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

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

Leaders had a good understanding of the services they managed and had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles.

They were aware of the risks within the service and were able to describe ways in which they were managed.

Staff we spoke with were aware of how to speak up if they had concerns about any issues within the service and said they would be confident to do so.

Governance processes ensured that learning was discussed and improvements were made. There were processes to ensure that learning happens when things go wrong, and from examples of good practice.

This service scored 64 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff said they felt valued, supported and listened to. All the nursing, healthcare workers and support staff we spoke with said senior staff promoted a positive culture. The teams worked well together and staff felt supported by their managers.

Managers gave examples of improvements within the service after things had gone wrong.

Staff said that equality and diversity was promoted and nobody felt victimised or discriminated against.

Staff said that managers and leaders were approachable and supportive. They said that there was a positive culture and that they felt respected and valued in their role. Staff told us that they had excellent relationships with the senior team and staff from other teams. They said that leaders were visible and know what is going on across the trust.

During our on site assessment, all staff we spoke with told us that they were happy in their role, that they felt supported by their managers and were confident in raising concerns. No staff members told us that they had experienced or witnessed any bullying or harassment. Two staff members told us that they were not aware of Freedom to Speak Up. We did see posters regarding Freedom to Speak Up located on wards.

Leaders had a good understanding of the services they managed and had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their roles.

They were aware of the risks within the service and were able to describe ways in which they were managed.

They supported staff to develop and encouraged them to remain within the service. The manager on Langdale ward had created extra senior nurse roles to aid nurses development and provide opportunities for promotion. One manager had been encouraged to complete additional training and was currently completing her Masters.

Staff we spoke with were aware of how to speak up if they had concerns about any issues within the service and would be confident to do so. Most staff said they would highlight their concern with their manager. They were confident that they would be listened to, and action would be taken.

Most staff were aware of Freedom to Speak Up support available in the trust.

Staff said leaders were open and transparent.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Governance, management and sustainability during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Governance processes ensured that learning was discussed and improvements were made. Lessons learnt was cascaded to frontline staff and staff were encouraged to make suggestions so that improvements could be made.

One staff member highlighted an example of when they suggested an improvement which would make patients feel more comforted following incidents. They were listened to and their suggestion was put into place by the team.

There were processes to ensure that learning happens when things go wrong, and from examples of good practice. Leaders encouraged reflection and collective problem-solving. We saw examples of learning from complaints and incidents that were embedded in the service.

Staff were supported to prioritise time to develop their skills around improvement and innovation.

Leaders encouraged staff to speak up with ideas for improvement and innovation and invest time to listen and engage. Regular staff meetings were held and the trust encouraged its staff to raise any concerns through the trust staff survey.

The service had strong external relationships that support improvement and innovation. Staff and leaders engaged with external work, including research, and embedded evidence-based practice in the organisation. The trust was undertaking a ‘therapeutic environments project’ at Dorothy Pattison, as part of which tablets with therapeutic apps were provided for patients’ benefits.