The Old Vicarage

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 was the first inspection 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 provider and registered manager created a shared direction that made sure each individual person was at the centre of their support when decisions about their lives were being made. Closed culture risks were identified, assessed and mitigated. A staff member said, “Since starting my job role, some of my ideas have been taken on board and implemented. Such as the change in one of the service users morning routines, and introducing employee of the month in order to raise staff morale by highlighting staff’s good practice.”

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. Overall, people, staff and external professionals were extremely positive about how the registered manager ensured people experienced the best outcomes and reached their full potential. A staff member said, “Worthy of note is that [the registered manager] does not compromise on quality and standards. The bar has been set high, and this encourages me to continue to bring in as much value as I can to the team. [The registered manager] just wants to enhance the quality of life of the service users, and my suggestions are always taken on board, and this makes me want to give more.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There was regular engagement with people and their representatives and a strong focus on supporting people to thrive, develop skills, have new experiences and live the life they chose. A staff member said, “The registered manager is really approachable and responds rapidly to anything that is raised. I am very pleased to be part of The Old Vicarage team where we are always striving towards continuous improvement.”

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. The provider and management team valued diversity and ensured they followed best practice guidance. For example, the registered manager had taken steps to remove bias from practice to ensure equality of opportunity and experience for staff. They had advocated for overseas staff who wanted to be enrolled on a sponsorship scheme and this was now in place.

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 for people, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. 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. For example, a staff member said, “I completed an audit of one of the service users’ incidents from 2023, which outlined key triggers, difficult times of the day where most incidents were taking place, and which staff members were involved the most. We sent this to our PBS [positive behaviour support] team and used this to change our approach [with the person].”

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. A professional said, “All of the staff are approachable and responsive.” There was regular engagement with people, their relatives and professionals; this had led to a strong focus on supporting people to thrive, develop skills, have new experiences and live the life they choose.

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. 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. A staff member said, “The organisation is highly committed to supporting its employees' professional growth and development. They provide a wide range of opportunities for staff to enhance their skills and knowledge, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.”