Summerhill

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 our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement.

At this inspection 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.New staff received support and training which helped them to demonstrate the provider’s values in their daily work with people. Staff members’ comments included, “I love coming to work, I never think of it as a chore”, “The residents are the best thing about work” and “I enjoy the job.”

The organisation 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. A staff member commented, “There are opportunities for personal development, if courses are available, you are supported to attend.” The registered manager had made several improvements to the service. Staff members’ comments included, “I am so proud of us, there have been changes to the managers and building, the teamwork is brilliant” and “The director is kind, fair and open to ideas.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they were able to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made to their working patterns for specific needs, for example to incorporate family commitments.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they were able to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made to their working patterns for specific needs, for example to incorporate family commitments.

Improvements had been made by the registered manager to ensure governance was more effective and robust, including the monitoring of the quality of service provision. 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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Regular audits and checks were carried out in the main areas of the service, such as, around care records, health and safety and staff practice. The areas of improvement we identified at inspection had either already been identified by the registered manager and were being progressed or were addressed immediately.

Staff at the service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. A professional commented, “When I conduct medicine reviews staff follow advice given and also request advice on medicine related queries as they arise.” Staff worked alongside other professionals when people moved to the service to ensure appropriate support was provided.

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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. Staff and leaders had a good understanding of how to make improvement happen. Leaders encouraged staff to speak up with ideas for improvement. A staff member commented, “We are supported to try new ideas.” Processes were in place to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and examples of good practice were well-established. There was clear evidence of changes that had been made to the service to address checks and audits outcomes and people, relative and staff feedback. Improvements had been made since the last inspection and the service was no longer in breach of legal requirements.