Annicare North

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 assessment werated this key question requires improvement. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. At this assessment 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 68 (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 did not have a clear shared vision, strategy and culture which was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, and engagement. They did not always understand the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider’s vision was out of date and did not reflect the current support and care they offered to people. However, staff we spoke with were clear on how they worked to provide compassionate care to people. The provider and staff were keen to review the care provided and to fully review concerns to drive improvements.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Staff had received training in how to record incidents. All staff told us they would contact the office immediately to let them know about any incidents, as well as completing an incident form. We saw following incidents people’s care needs were reviewed to ensure emerging risks were taken into account in the care provided.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The provider had policies in place, such as the whistle blowing policy to support staff who wished to speak up about any concerns they had in the service. In addition, there was regular contact with staff through phone calls and team meetings. Staff were confident they could raise any issues with the manager, and they would be taken seriously and investigated. One member of staff told us, “I am always comfortable messaging office.”

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Staff had received training in how to record incidents. All staff told us they would contact the office immediately to let them know about any incidents, as well as completing an incident form. We saw following incidents people’s care needs were reviewed to ensure emerging risks were taken into account in the care provided.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the care provided. For example, audits were in place for call length. The provider had identified that a proportion of calls were being cut short. They were taking action to make improvements in this area, by working with staff to explain the importance of spending time socialising with people when the care was finished. In addition, audits were also in place around medicines, care plans and, training and supervision. These areas had all improved since our last inspection.

During the inspection the provider was responsive to the issues we raised. Following the inspection they wrote to us and told us they actions they had taken to address the minor concerns we had found during the inspection. had introduced a more robust auditing process to effectively duplicated issues with call scheduling.

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.

The provider worked in partnership with local NHS organisations. This supported people to move from a hospital to a home setting and to engage as part of their community.

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 manager was open and staff were able to approach them with ideas for innovation and improvement. To ensure all staff had the required skill level all new staff were required to complete the provider’s training to ensure they were aware of and working to the provider’s standards.