Wansbeck Supported Living Service

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 registered manager and staff team worked hard to maintain a positive person-centred culture which put people’s achievements and independence at the heart of what they did. They understood people’s needs, built strong relationships with them and were responsive to feedback. There were effective governance and management systems in place to monitor and reduce risk, and to find ways to improve the service. Auditing regarding medicines management needed some improvement and the registered manager acted on this immediately.

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.

Staff felt valued and demonstrated a shared set of goals and values with their leaders, as set out on the provider’s Statement of Purpose. One staff member said, “They have listened and backed us when we asked for changes. They are really supportive and everyone pulls together.” External partners had confidence in the service. They recognised the hard work put in by the team and the progress to date. They recognised the hard work staff and management put into the service and the outcomes they achieved. One told us, “I have confidence in the leadership team, they demonstrate strong person-centred values and are committed to promoting as good as life as possible for the people they support. The leadership team are open to advice and support and work hard to implement this.”

The registered manager and staff had worked hard since the last inspection to improve the service, particularly in relation to staffing, medicines and governance. There was a clear action plan in place, which staff had followed. This included additional administration support, management hands-on support as well as internal scrutiny. Whilst there were still areas to improve, the service was performing well and understood what those areas were.

Staff felt included in how the service was run and major changes. One staff member said, “The recent changes to cover have been needed and I think the shift changes will give people more freedom. I think it’s great.” There were staff meetings and regular supervisions. All external partners we spoke with felt the registered manager, leadership team, and staff, shared a compassionate and inclusive approach. The skills and experiences of the registered manager and deputy manager complemented each other, which had a positive effect on the service and outcomes for people.

There were staff meetings and regular updates to staff regarding changes to good practice. Champions helped share information and the registered manager hoped to have more champions in specific areas now the service was stable in terms of staffing. The service supported staff with career aspirations to pursue relevant qualifications.

All staff we spoke with felt able to raise concerns and felt their suggestions/comments would be valued and dealt with appropriately. Partners had confidence in the provider’s processes to enable people and staff to speak up where they had concerns. They gave examples of where staff could come to them directly with concerns about people’s changing conditions and had confidence in staff being able to report concerns about the service if they had any. The culture was open and the registered manager welcomed suggestions.

The provider had up to date safeguarding and whistleblowing policies in place. There were a range of means to capture staff feedback, such as staff meetings, supervisions and spot checks. The office was a hub of activity and a natural place to share updates/concerns – the registered manager or deputy were regularly on site and approachable.

The registered manager role modelled how staff should challenge the barriers that some people faced due to their protected characteristics, such as a disability. Staff embraced this and were strong advocates for people. No partners raised any concerns about bullying or unfair treatment, and praised staff for their approaches. Staff were supported to be the best they could at work, for instance through use of phased returns to work and physio/occupational therapy support.

Processes were in place to ensure recruitment practices were fair and equitable. One person who used the service helped with recruitment processes and the registered manager hoped to involve more people in the future.

The registered manager ensured small changes were implemented that had a cumulative effect: encouraging people to recycle, having compost bins in their houses, using recycled paper, for example.

The registered manager and staff team worked hard. There had been a clear need and business case for the additional staffing put in place, and for the move to electronic records administration system. Audits of medicines needed improvement.

People’s experience of the provider’s partnership working was limited, as they largely were not party to it. They raised no concerns and benefitted from the provider’s approach.

Individual staff members had made good use of their individual links with other organisations, that could benefit people accessing local groups and activities. The registered manager attended provider forums and understood the importance of the service remaining outward looking – this helped people who used the service stay linked to their community and less isolated.

Partners experienced a positive and collaborative working approach. The registered manager ensured the service worked proactively with a range of health and social care partners to ensure people (and the service) had a voice.

Policies were informed by national good practice and were reviewed regularly. For instance, the service needed to improve medicines after the last CQC inspection and had utilised a range of NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) resources.

Staff were embracing the move to electronic records and had been supported to do this on a phased basis. The registered manager assured us there would be sufficient time for staff to familiarise themselves with the new system before rollout, and that they would utilise staff positivity by having champions in place. The service had previous worked with a university to improve their communication documentation, when people moved between services. Partners confirmed that the leadership were open to suggestions, advice and exploring a range of solutions. One said, “They are working with the wider MDT to review practices to enhance the quality of life of clients.”

The provider had in place clear policies and procedures that encouraged reflection and learning. Staff were already using stock check/basic audits on phones to help with oversight of medicines management. Whilst there was still work to do on how effective this auditing was, it demonstrated that the service was willing to use new ways of working to save time and, ultimately, benefit people who use the service.