Hall Road

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

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

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 provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Staff were motivated to deliver high quality care and support to people in line with the provider’s vision and values for the service. A staff member told us, “I enjoy my job because we have a very supportive manager. The environment is enabling people and the feedback we get from family and healthcare professionals makes me want to put in more effort.” Another staff member said, “I am a very caring person, and I like to help people and this fulfils me.” Systems and processes had been designed in line with the vision and values and focused on people and meeting their individual needs. The registered manager told us, “I make sure new starters, through induction, are introduced to people and supported to read care plans to help them get to know people. And they are then put with other staff to help them learn on the job. We have regular meetings with staff to talk about people and their needs and make sure staff are up to date about people’s needs.”

The provider had 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 did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The provider had made improvements since our last inspection and no longer in breach of regulations. There was a stable and experienced management team at the service which meant the service was now managed well. Managers were skilled and knowledgeable about people’s individual needs and how these should be met. Relatives spoke positively about managers and improvements they had made. A relative told us, “[Registered manager] hasn’t been here long, but we feel as parents we have a voice for the first time in 8 years. We feel more empowered. I can talk to [registered manager]. There were so many things to improve, and [registered manager] patiently addressed all the issues and they brought in improvements. These are still going on.” Another relative said, “Since that last inspection there has been a steady pace of improvement which we are pleased about especially in terms of the decoration. There is still more to do but there is progress to make the place more homely. Recently things have been more robust like record keeping. Communication is much better, and I feel we are listened to more now and things do happen. We are now looking for consistency and things carry on improving.” Staff were well supported by managers. A staff member told us, “If I need any help they will help and support me. They will always help me. I think the team leaders and their practices help me learn and grow as a new team member.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff knew people well and understood their individual communication needs and how they might express concerns about the support they received. The registered manager told us, “We have a consistent staff team here who know people really well, and they have been supporting people a long time. If they notice that anything is different with people, they will alert this to me straight away.” Relatives were comfortable raising concerns with managers and felt listened to. A relative said, “When I haven’t liked something I have raised this, and it has been rectified. I am listened to as a mother and [registered manager] will take it further and makes sure he follows through.” Staff were encouraged to speak up and share any concerns they had about the service. A staff member told us, “The manager is very particular about this. He tells us at any time that if anything is bothering us we can talk to him at any time. He says we can call him at any time.” Systems were in place to support staff to speak up and share any concerns they had about the service. Staff were provided with the provider’s policies which informed them about their responsibility to share and report concerns and how these would be dealt with by the provider. The registered manager used meetings to discuss any concerns staff may have and staff were encouraged to speak freely and without fear of consequences.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff were valued and provided equal opportunities to achieve their work goals and objectives. A staff member told us, “We always want more but we are treated well. I think I could move on in the company if I wanted to. There is mutual respect between us, as a staff team.” Managers understood the importance of a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff. The registered manager said, “We don’t discriminate. Diversity, equality and inclusion is very important to us, and we have policies and procedures to make sure people experience fair and equal treatment. We have support at provider level to make sure staff have fair and equal opportunities.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider had made improvements since our last inspection and no longer in breach of regulations. Governance systems were now more effective and used to check and audit the quality and safety of care and support provided to people at regular intervals. Outcomes from checks and audits were used to make any changes required and support staff to improve their working practices. The registered manager told us, “I lead by example. I don’t work 9 to 5. I do extra hours and make sure I am present whenever I can to make sure the service is being delivered as it should be, and people are being looked after as they should be. I do my spot checks as well to make sure staff are doing what they are supposed to be doing.” The registered manager understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Relatives told us they felt included and involved by managers to work together to continuously improve the service for people. A relative told us, “The management is much more proactive. They listen to parents’ views. For the first time we have meetings with the management and also, we have general meetings with all the parents and that is very valuable for us and we feel integrated in to the fabric of the organisation. We feel we have been accepted as members of the home which is very important.” Partners had positive experiences of working with the provider to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high quality care to people. A healthcare professional told us, “I have been seeing one of the people there for 2 years and the home has been really good…they really take good care and their timekeeping is very good. We share our notes and that is really helpful as we share our findings. This is one of the nicest care homes I go to. I would rate it top quality…the staff are very empathetic, and I am always happy to go there.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. The provider had made significant improvements at the service since our last inspection. This included refurbishment and redecoration of the environment and improvements to the quality and safety of the care and support provided to people. People were happy with the improvements made. A relative said, “When things were bad, I did start to think about finding somewhere else but things have turned around. I am very happy. To see it improving is wonderful. But they are not sitting still.” A healthcare professional told us, “[Registered manager] has introduced a lot of changes to the home, and he is very good and very experienced.” Managers recognised the importance of learning lessons and continuous improvement to ensure people received safe, high quality, care and support. The registered manager told us how they had used learning from a recent assessment of another service to develop and implement a new tool to support more effective management of staffing. This had been shared with managers across the provider’s other local residential services. The provider was continuing to invest and improve the service to enhance the quality of people’s lives. At the time of our assessment the provider had just purchased sensory projectors which would provide people with individualised sensory based activities tailored to their needs.