Meadowfold Hyndburn Ribble Valley Short Break

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. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 89 (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 an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Leaders created a shared direction that made sure people were at the centre of their support when decisions about their lives were being made. The service’s vision was, “To support people with disabilities to live to life they want.” This was evident in observations, conversations with staff, and feedback from relatives and partners. One staff member said, “We have team meetings to discuss things and collaborate, or we can raise things in supervisions. We have discussed people’s care or what’s working well or not working well many times.” There was a member of the management team working each day and they often covered night shifts, meaning they were available to identify and respond to concerns of closed cultures.

The provider had exceptionally 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. The registered manager and 2 team managers had worked for the service for many years, gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience about the service and the people they supported. A staff member said, “Leaders are very skilled and lead by example. I come to them for questions. Their presence is quite essential, and they are around most shifts.” A team manager had recently been nominated for an award and staff had provided lots of positive feedback. One staff member said, “It is fair to say that [manager] showed me what a support worker should be. They showed care, kindness and professionalism to all they met. They have always put the needs of people above everything else.” Another added, “I have worked alongside [manager] for years, and throughout they have been both a friendly and attentive colleague and team manager as well as a professional and compassionate leader. Essential qualities within the context of adult social care.” The registered manager had completed training such as PBS train the trainer, leadership and management and mental health first aid; to enable them to better support the team. A senior manager visited periodically to oversee the service and provide support to the management team and staff.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had access to whistleblowing information and most felt confident to raise concerns in team meetings or supervisions. A QR code was also available for staff to give anonymous feedback. via a direct link to electronic survey. A staff member said, “We are encouraged to speak up and be the service user’s voice.” However, there had recently been some conflict in the team and some staff told us they did not always feel listened to. The registered manager was aware of concerns and was taking action to address them.

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. Most staff said they were treated fairly and gave examples of how the service had supported their rights, such as flexible working requests. A staff member told us, “The service is quite flexible with requests for time off. They allow emergency leave or shift swaps etc.” We observed a risk assessment for a pregnant staff member, which detailed reasonable adjustments in place to protect their health and wellbeing.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The management team had an excellent understanding of risk within the service and had quality assurance systems in place to manage it. Comprehensive checks were undertaken to monitor and improve the quality of care and support, at both service and provider level. People’s support plans and records were thorough, and personal information was kept secure. The provider was continuously reviewing and improving governance processes and were introducing electronic recording systems. A staff member said, “Paperwork is well organised. We are used to doing a vast amount of paperwork. If anything’s missing, it gets flagged and chased up quickly.” Policies were kept up to date with changes to legislation, and the ‘service response plan’ detailed the provider’s preparedness for events such as adverse weather or loss of premises. Robust systems and processes were in place to manage recruitment, training and staff performance. The registered manager spoke about steps taken to address staff performance and provide support such as mediation, further training or input from occupational health. It was evident throughout inspection the systems and processes in place contributed to the service delivering outstandingly safe, effective and high-quality care.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. There was regular engagement with people, their relatives, partners and other services; and a strong focus on supporting people to thrive, develop skills and enjoy new experiences. For example, taking a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting people with mealtimes had resulted in positive outcomes. A partner told us, “Meadowfold work collaboratively with day services, families, personal assistants etc.” Partners gave several other examples of work the service had undertaken in collaboration with them. The service had worked with day services to implement new strategies, sourced specific training from the learning disability nursing team and liaised with social workers to support emergency placements. This ensured people received joined-up care and better outcomes. The registered manager was involved with various networks; to share learning and drive improvement. They registered manager showed us information which had been shared to support service development, both for Meadowfold and other local short break services including forms, auditing tools and checklists. The service held various open days and events with invitations offered to people, relatives, partners and other services.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 registered manager spoke about new initiatives to support improvement; including an electronic recording system designed to improve information sharing, record keeping and oversight. Meadowfold would be the first local short break service to trial the system. External audits from the IPC team and local authority had been undertaken in 2024. Both had been very positive with the service compliant in all areas. When asked if the service actively involved staff in understanding where improvements were needed and collective problem solving, a staff member said, “As a staff team we work well together to test and trial new ideas. Especially with people with learning disabilities and autistic people, it is important to try different things. One service user used the apartment and was on their own quite a lot. Staff have been trying to integrate them more into the home.” Some staff had been given the opportunity to develop their skills as innovation, IPC and nutrition and hydration champions. They shared learning with the team, to help improve the safety and quality of care. It was evident throughout inspection there was a strong emphasis on people’s quality of life and how this could be improved.