Lindisfarne Newton Aycliffe

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 service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At the 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 and registered manager had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity, inclusion and ensuring this was reflected in the way staff worked with people and the local communities. The staff team consistently strived to ensure the service put people first. A person said, “It’s like a lovely home and I feel very at ease here.”

The service 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. People, staff and external professionals were very positive about the registered manager and management team and how they ran the service. People felt they experienced a good quality of life. Staff told us they found the registered manager was approachable and really encouraged them to go the extra mile.

The registered manager fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People, relatives and staff told us they felt confident to raise concerns with the management team and these would be listened to and acted upon. Staff felt their views and suggestions were actively taken on board. A staff member said, “We have regular meetings and in them we discuss our views and ideas for making improvements. These are listened to, and [manager’s name] does use them.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. The provider and management team valued diversity and ensured they followed best practices guidance. A staff member told us about their positive experience of moving to the service and how welcoming the staff had been and continued to be.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. Since the last inspection they had strengthened them and redesigned the audits to ensure they picked up the full range of issues a service might face. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. Internal governance procedures were in place with a range of quality monitoring systems and audits. These had helped identify where actions were required and areas for improvement. The registered manager was supported in their governance procedures by an area manager and oversight from the provider.

Staff clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People reported they found the staff closely tailored the work to individual’s needs and had supported them to experience positive outcomes.

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. There was a process in place for staff to ensure continuous improvement through innovation and learning was achieved. Staff were actively encouraged to work with people in ways which aimed to improve outcomes for them and allow each individual to experience a good quality of life. The registered manager ensured staff were supported to keep up to date with developments in best practice. A staff member said, “We are all at the home to provide the best care possible.”