Cambian Lufton Manor College

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 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 students and their communities. The provider’s organisational values were in alignment with CQC’s ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. The registered manager told us, “Since our last inspection our culture has improved. I shared a list of values with staff and together we choose 5 core values we align to. They run through everything we do. I am most proud of a lot of things, having the right staff with the right values for the right reasons has brought us together as a team, it’s a culture of support and that has improved student’s progress and outcomes. I’m getting emotional about it; I couldn’t have done it without the right people.” The staff we spoke with knew the organisational values. They said, “We do follow them and it’s important because it contains everything we do for students. Freedom of speech, Respect for each other, Empower students to make their own choices, Support students and each other and Humanity for each other as human beings.”

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 ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured students lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Students were treated with respect and dignity and staff treated people as equals. Students and those closest to them knew who the leaders were. We received comments such as, “The Senior Leadership Team are very welcoming, efficient and have time to listen.” Healthcare professionals said, “The service is well-led, managers are proactive and know how to manage expectations yet adaptable to the young people’s needs.” Staff said, “[registered manager] has done an incredible job. It has taken a long time to rebuild a work environment where students and staff feel safe, valued and supported. The ethos now is focused on the students as individuals. Employing staff like [managers] who share that ethos and recognise that all people are people – that's really shaped the care team in such a positive way.” We spoke with registered managers who told us, “We are ambitious for our students and their outcomes. We are brave for our students and embrace positive risk taking to empower our students and help them build the life skills they need when they move onto their next placement.”

The service fostered a positive culture where students felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff said, “My managers are incredibly supportive and always accessible to speak to. They are very supportive and are always responsive to any questions we might have for them.” Leaders proactively engaged in conversations with people and those important to them about their understanding of their human rights. There was regular engagement with students and their representatives and a strong focus on supporting students to thrive, develop skills, have new experiences and live the life they choose.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for staff who work for them. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff with protected characteristics felt supported.

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 management team were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. The home had clear arrangements for accountability and improvement using a range of audits to monitor quality and identify areas that could be improved. When areas of improvements had been identified by audits the registered manager had initiated projects to drive improvements. For example, audits had shown the quality of information recorded in mental capacity assessment and best interest decision forms could be improved. The registered manager arranged for staff to attend further training, introduced coaching sessions and introduced further checks to ensure standards improved.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for students. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. Leaders had worked with students, their representatives and staff to build a culture that focused on enabling students to enjoy their lives. There was regular engagement with students and their representatives and 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 students. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The model of care was in line with current best practice guidance right support, right care, right culture. Leaders worked with students, their representatives and staff to build a culture that focused on enabling students to enjoy a full life. The registered manager said, “We have a transparent culture, a learning culture. It's ok to make mistakes, we encourage a no blame culture.”