Havencare Cornwall

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

Staff told us they enjoyed their day to day jobs but did not always feel supported or listened to by managers. Changes to management structure had caused confusion and been unsettling. The way in which hubs were organised did not always work effectively. We identified a breach of Regulation 17.

This service scored 61 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff told us they felt teams had a shared set of values. However, some staff told us they felt there was a disconnect between themselves and managers. This had led to a lack of confidence in leadership.

There were policies in place to promote a positive culture. For example, Staff in a Close Personal Relationship Working Together and Duty of Candour. Staff received training in supporting people with a learning disability and/or autism.

We had mixed responses from staff about their day to day support. Staff were mainly positive about the support they received from practice leaders. However, one told us they had felt ‘ostracised’ after raising concerns.

There had been a restructuring of managers and leaders. Staff told us there had been a lack of stability and continuity as well as a lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities. This had impacted on staff morale.

Staff told us they did not always feel supported by senior management and did not feel they were valued or that their concerns were listened to.

There was a Freedom to Speak Up policy. Following a staff survey some areas for improvement had been identified. Offices in the hubs did not provide a confidential space for staff to discuss any concerns.

Staff did not report any examples of discrimination. The staff team was inclusive and diverse.

There was technology in place to support staff who needed additional support to complete training or read policies.

Managers told us there had been some dissatisfaction in one of the hub settings due to staff not clearly understanding all staff roles following a recent restructuring. Staff in this and other hub settings confirmed they felt the restructuring of roles had not worked and responsibilities were unclear. While we did not identify the same concerns in smaller supported living settings the way in which hubs were organised did not always lead to good outcomes for people. For example, when staff meetings were held in hub spaces, people were discouraged from accessing communal spaces. This meant they were not always able to access support when they wanted.

In one setting, Havencare Cornwall worked alongside other agencies supporting people. The processes for this shared support were not always effective and did not enable shared learning. Following the inspection the registered manager told us they were setting up staff meetings where both agencies could discuss any issues and share information. A management structure chart set out the roles and responsibilities of all managers within the organisation. However, staff told us they were not always sure about the responsibilities in the hubs. One commented; “The (team) structure can be confused.” Another said; “The restructure is not working. The split of office work and delivering support. Meetings are prioritised. Makes them (people using the service) feel they are bothering them (managers) if they want to ask for support.” When staff were required to lone work due to the nature of the service there were no systems in place to allow them to have a break or debrief following any incident. One member of staff told us they sometimes found this difficult, particularly when working long shifts supporting people who could be anxious for extended periods.

In one hub setting there had been work to engage with the local community and develop relationships. People had been involved in fund raising to raise money for a defibrillator.

In one of the hub settings staff worked alongside staff from different agencies. Staff told us this did not always work well as there could be a lack of communication between agencies.

Shared learning between agencies was not supported by the processes in place. Following the inspection the registered manager told us they were working to improve this.

One external professional told us; “I have found the team leader to be communicative, reports concerns and attends multi-disciplinary team meetings where [Name] engages and is an active member.”

The service was monitored and areas for improvement identified. When things did not go as well as expected managers reflected on the experience to help drive improvements.

Quality audits were completed and action plans put in place where room for improvement was identified. An external professional told us; “My work with Havencare has demonstrated their commitment to innovation that can improve their service.”