Supported Living West 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

There was an open and positive culture within the service where leaders were experienced, compassionate and led with integrity and people and staff felt heard. Diversity across the service was valued and there were future plans in place to enhance this. The service worked well with other partner agencies to collaborate for improvement. The management team were committed to making improvements across the service. There were governance systems in place which assessed and managed the safety and quality of the service. However, some improvements were required to quality assurance audits to ensure they were as effective as possible.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager promoted an open and positive culture across the service. They told us, “I have an open-door policy and staff members can contact me at any time. I want to develop the service and have already implemented changes such as additional spot checks and reviewing care records”. Staff told us the management demonstrated a positive, compassionate, listening culture that promoted trust and understanding. One staff member said, “The registered manager has been fantastic, they are always available and very supportive, they want to give us everything so that we can do a great job with the people we support”.

The provider had team meetings and regular supervisions where news was shared and expectations of the team were discussed and agreed. The provider’s values were re-visited during staff supervision meetings.

The management team worked well together and supported staff through a scheme of delegation, so all staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager said, “I lead by example, I support my team managers and support staff.” Staff told us they had received relevant training and received support from the management team to enhance their own skills, knowledge and development.

The registered manager used policies and procedures to safely manage services and kept up to date with changes in the health and social care sector. They were committed to driving improvement through their own learning and experiences.

The provider was confident staff would raise any issues with management and senior leaders. They encouraged openness and transparency within the staff team, encouraged staff to speak up and raise concerns during one-to-one supervision meetings. Staff told us they were reminded of being able to raise concerns during meetings or one to one supervision. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing policy and who to contact.

A whistle blowing policy was in place and was accessible around the service for people and staff to access.

The senior team promoted workforce diversity and had systems to support any protected characteristics staff may have. Staff spoken to were positive about the support they received and gave examples of when additional support had been given to meet their individual circumstances. One staff told us about the support they had been given for their personal circumstances, “The service has been really supportive to me.”

The provider had policies and procedures regarding equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were provided with contracts of employment which gave them information about their rights. Training was provided for staff on equality and diversity.

Staff told us they were kept accountable when things went wrong. Learning was shared amongst staff. The registered manager and team managers had their own processes to share information with staff relating to governance.

There were systems to support, assess and maintain accountability, safety and governance across the service. Audits were completed regularly and actions were taken as a result of any identified shortfalls.

People benefited from partnership working across the service as this contributed to positive outcomes for their care and support.

The management team had a strong commitment to improving the service and were open to suggestions for improvement, recognising the importance of joint working with partner agencies. Staff understood the value of working in partnership with professionals, people and with other staff.

Professionals told us things had improved since the current registered manager had been in post. One professional stated lessons learned had improved, they told us, “Following one incident, relevant professionals had been contacted, and an internal investigation completed. Lessons learned had been demonstrated such as additional support for staff had been put in place and more spot checks completed. In addition, outcome documentation in place, and risk assessments and support plans updated”.

Advice from external professionals was sought and referrals were made in a timely manner which ensured continuity of care. There had been a recent quality improvement assessment undertaken at the service by the Local Authority and the management team worked with them to ensure processes and systems continued to improve.

The registered manager worked closely with the local authority and other key stakeholders to build relationships. The registered manager was very receptive to our feedback about some of the issues we identified on inspection, such as mental capacity and best interest records. Staff told us they were always learning and have good support teams who help each other.

The provider training matrix showed staff compliance with mandatory areas of training. The system enabled staff to be aware of overdue or upcoming training. Training and development were discussed in one to one supervision meetings and recorded.