Adswood Lodge

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 newly registered 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 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. The provider had clear focus on values and work cultures. We observed ‘huddle meetings’ where key members of the team gather to update the management team and each other on all aspects of the service provisions. This included discussing values and consideration of focus. The registered manager took a proactive and flexible approach to supporting employees including with their cultural, spiritual, financial and practical needs and overall staff felt very supported. Surveys were completed and staff were encouraged to feedback their views and ideas and overall staff felt very positive about working at the home.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who had an exceptional understanding of 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. Staff told us they found the management team supportive and approachable. One member of staff told us, “I like coming into work as it feels a really open service, the management team are involved and I see diversity in action. I feel able to contribute. It is joyful here and they [the provider and management team] do lots for staff morale. The management team are very good at supporting and being flexible with staff.” The provider had a number of initiatives to support staff. People and relatives knew the management team, and told us they felt able to raise concerns. One person commented, “I would raise any concerns or complaints if needed to, I find the manager listens and responds and action things swiftly.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People, families and staff told us they felt able to raise concerns and speak up. There were suitable policies in place for people using the service to raise concerns and make complaints and these were responded to appropriately with investigations. There were policies and processes for staff to raise concerns including anonymously if needed. Meetings and surveys were used by the provider to collect information and feedback, and the provider maintained a ‘you said… we did’ board to share information about how concerns had been responded to.

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. The provider had a diverse workforce and held events to celebrate diversity which had included ‘parties’ which involved people and staff. Policies were in place to support staff with any diverse needs, including cultural and spiritual needs. People were supported to access services to support their cultural needs which included support with spiritual beliefs and services such as access to the Irish Centre.

The provider had responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance in place but these had not always been effective in identifying areas where improvements could be made. The provider had various systems and layers for oversight completed by the provider, the registered manager, clinical and unit managers and the registered nurses. However, some systems of oversight in relation to care plans and records were not always effective. For example, we found there were areas where improvements could be made in relation to the accurate recording of consent and areas of improvement relating to documentation and records of care delivery. However, by the end of our assessment the management team had already taken action and were embedding processes to ensure any gaps in documentation or care were quickly addressed.

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. Key stakeholders spoke highly of the organisation and how the provider worked with other professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. One professional commented, “Communication works well. I work closely with staff and staff know people. I feel they respond and take the action needed following advice.” Another professional told us, “This is the best care home I visit. The care is good, residents well looked after. The service have a real mix of needs and very complex patients. They seem to manage any changes in their needs and they manage incidents well.” Records indicated staff worked closely with a range of agencies and supported people to access external services and engage in community activities.

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 systems for sharing lessons with staff and the registered manager talked about how they drove learning and improvement with training, information sharing and other initiatives. For example, following an incident, staff training had been revisited to ensure that all staff knew their roles and responsibilities. The provider had a range of initiatives to support people and staff with their needs and wellbeing. The provider and staff actively sought opportunities to develop innovative practice such as relating to best practice. The staff team looked for opportunities to meet people’s needs through flexible and innovative practices. For example, staff looked at opportunities to support people with their hopes and aspirations, helped people to engage in a range of activities and to spend time with family outside of the care home.