Aalia Health Care Limited

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 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 service 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. The registered manager had embedded a person-centred culture within the home. People, relatives and staff were treated as individuals and their needs understood and accommodated. The registered manager regularly provided feedback to staff. Staff comments included, “It's a home away from home, it's like walking into home. It's lovely to come to work here; it's so nice to want to come to work” and “I love Aalia House, the (registered) manager is brilliant.”

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. The registered manager was a visible and recognised presence in the home. The registered manager knew people, relatives and staff very well. The registered manager explained how they had worked hard to develop a cohesive staff team over the months the home had been open. Observations made during our visit confirmed this. Relatives’ comments included, “We are happy with the service, and when I went through a rough time, staff and management supported me”, “The management is very good and responsive we feel comfortable here. It is very welcoming”, “The manager is approachable, the staff are friendly and I would recommend the home to others” and “The manager and staff are very friendly and approachable. There is a light and friendly atmosphere in the home.” Staff comments included, “[Registered manager] was really nice and said my first shift was calm and organised” and “[Name of senior staff member] is amazing, she has helped me loads. She’s always there for me.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were encouraged to speak up. All the staff we spoke with confirmed an open and supportive culture. One staff member told us, “Everybody is involved. I’ve said things I’ve learnt at other places, and [registered manager] has listened.” Another said, “I’ve spoken in meetings. I butt in all the time, I can knock on [registered manager]’s door, or in meetings.”

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Policies were in place to support workforce inclusion, equality and diversity, and these were followed. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt valued. One staff member told us, “The team are fabulous, they all work really well, and really hard.” Another staff member said, ““Everyone is so nice, everybody is nice to everybody else. It’s nice to come to work, everybody is so supportive.”

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. The service had a regular schedule of quality audits covering all aspects of the service. The registered manager completed these as required and actions from improvement plans were tracked and monitored. Additional audits were undertaken by the area manager on behalf of the provider.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. The service had developed close working relationships with partner organisations within the local community. For example, 1 partner always donated a Christmas tree. The service regularly held fairs, which people enjoyed planning, creating and attending, to raise funds for activities within the home. These were very well attended by relatives and representatives from the local community.

The service 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. The open culture at the home encouraged collaborative and creative working across the staff team. Further work was being developed, in tandem with the new deputy manager post, to enhance how improvements were captured and measured.