Low Laithes

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

The provider had a shared vision, strategy, and culture which staff supported and put into practise. Staff were positive about the management team and the support they received. Staff and management were seen to work in partnership with people, relatives, and professionals. Staff were supported to be creative in the way they provided support for people and be actively involved in service development. Overall, most relatives felt the service was managed well and were kept well informed. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. When there were issues, the registered manager dealt with them appropriately and worked to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

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 mission of the Hesley group is to enable people with complex needs to achieve their potential. The new management team were passionate about improving people’s quality of life and staff we spoke to shared this vision. One staff member said, “The best thing is just the difference you can see you are making to people's lives, seeing them achieve their goals.”

The provider had a mission statement in place which laid out clear goals and objectives focusing on positive outcomes for people supported. All levels were passionate about promoting a positive culture that was person centred, open, inclusive, and empowering.

The provider was aware of the need for quality services and had systems and processes in place to provide appropriate support to people they provided care for, and for their staff team. 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 member told us, “When we need support, people come straight away. Good place to work, good team and good management. I would definitely recommend this place.”

The provider kept up to date with best practice and changes in legislation. We saw examples of how the provider had identified issues which may have impacted the service and how they had taken proactive measures to address them. This included a successful recruitment campaign and the implementation of revised training for positive behaviour support.

The new registered manager and deputy manager provided regular opportunities to listen to feedback and were taking action to drive improvements. Staff felt confident their voices were heard and action would be taken if concerns were raised. One staff member said, “[Registered Manager Name] has an open door. Very approachable. Regular walk-in session, just come in.” Another staff said, “Managers are approachable.”

Feedback was gathered and action from feedback was taken to drive improvements. The provider had a complaints and compliments process in place. An easy read version of the complaints form was seen displayed. There were policies in place on safeguarding and whistle-blowing and staff were aware of how to whistle blow should the need arise.

The senior team promoted workforce diversity and had systems in place to support any protected characteristics staff may have. Staff were positive about the support they received and gave examples of when additional support had been given to meet their personal circumstances. One staff member told us about the liaison officer for overseas workers, “If we need anything [Name] is just a call away.”

The provider had policies and procedures in place regarding equality, diversity and inclusion. Systems were in place to provide support for people with protected characteristics. Staff were provided with contracts of employment which gave them information about their rights. Training was provided for staff on Equality and Diversity.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and felt involved in decisions about the service. One staff member told us, “Care plans are rigid but there is room for feedback so that we can try things that have worked and then things are based on evidenced based work.” Another said, “We hold a lot of team meetings so we can discuss things.”

There had been several changes to the management structure at the home with the manager and deputy manager only recently in post. New training around positive behaviour support was also being introduced as well as a new medication system. The provider had structures in place to monitor and improve the quality of care they delivered. Systems such as audits and quality monitoring were used to check the quality and safety of the service and actions plans were noted to be in place to address issues highlighted. Feedback from relatives and staff referenced staff turnover and agency usage and the impact of this but also that this was now improving. The provider had worked hard to recruit to vacant posts and the new management team were enthusiastic about taking the service forward with a stable staff team. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities to notify partners. For example, notifications to CQC and safeguarding alerts. The provider had a business continuity plan which detailed how they would be prepared for emergencies.

Overall relatives were positive about their experience of the team at Low Laithes. One relative commented, “In our personal experience [Name] has flourished. [Person] is happy, content and calm. 100% it’s down to them, [person] is having a good life.” However, some relatives mentioned that communication could be better. Relatives were positive about recent changes and the new management team. One relative told us, “Most happy we have ever been with Low Laithes and we have never been unhappy and think it will get better.”

The new 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 were also aware of the value of working in partnership, with professionals, people and with other staff. One staff member told us, “Team is really good, staff look after each other.”

Feedback from partners was mostly positive about joint working. One commented, “They have done an amazing job with [person]. Thought they might not manage [person] but they have. Progress is phenomenal.” However, we did receive some comments from some partners that communication and response to requests for information could be better.

Records seen evidenced involvement of partners both internally and externally. Advice was sought, and referrals were made which enabled effective information sharing and continuity of care. The provider recognised the importance of a consistent staff team in providing good support and recent recruitment drives had reduced the use of agency and facilitated a more stable staff team with benefits starting to be seen for both people and staff.

The senior team was willing and open to innovation and learning and could describe examples of where learning had taken place and outcomes improved for people. Staff could describe the benefits of the support and training they received and the opportunities the provider offered for personal development. One staff told us, “Staff are empowered to do their job as well as possible.” Staff told us they were encouraged to contribute their ideas about what the service did well and what they could do better during regular individual and group meetings with their managers and other staff. This showed the provider was willing to listen and take prompt action in response to feedback received from staff. A member of the clinical team told us, “The management team let us know if there are any concerns or escalating behaviours or issues with staff. The management are very responsive.”

The provider had systems in place to seek and act on feedback from people, families and staff and improvement plans to take the service forward. We saw examples of how processes had been strengthened to ensure the provider was supporting staff to develop their skills around improvement and innovation. For example, accessing additional training and personal development for staff members. The management team were proactive in using information from audits, complaints, incidents and safeguarding alerts to improve the service. The managers worked with staff to understand how things went wrong and involved them in finding solutions. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong. The provider had effective processes in place to ensure learning happens when things go wrong and from examples of good practice.