National Care Group Kent Head Office

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 support; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred support.
 

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The staff team 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 had set out a clear vision for the service which was shared by staff. This included empowerment, respect, and collaboration to support people maximise their potential in every way they can. Staff shared this vision, which underpinned the support they offered people. They described the vision as, “For people to live their best life” and “I take real pride in helping people make the best of their life and live life to the best”.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered 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 registered manager told us, when they came into post, they had recognised a lack leadership had impacted on the service previously. They told us it had taken a year to build a strong team by identifying staff with the right skills and attitudes and putting them in the right places. They told us they were now confident in the leadership team, who knew what they were doing. They told us, “We have a very good set of staff, they look for direction and team leaders and service managers provide it. I wouldn’t be able to do my job without the colleagues I have”.

Staff in leadership roles had been supported to develop their skills to fulfil their role. The registered manager was completing a Level 7 qualification in leadership and management. They told us they had learnt a lot and this had supported them to develop leadership strategies which they demonstrated during the assessment. These included contributing to the development of the provider’s policies and strategies to develop the whole organisations, as well as the service. Service managers had or were working to achieve level 5 qualifications in the management of of care. The demonstrated a clear understanding of regulation and had been empowered to notify us of any significant events which occurred at the service.

The registered manager had a plan in operation to support team leaders to develop in their role. They told us the team leaders were “eager to learn”. Some had achieved nationally recognised leadership qualifications and others were undertaking these. The registered manager commented, “I believe in my colleagues and want them to progress in their careers”.

Staff told us they felt supported by the leadership team. They told us, they were “So supportive” during difficult times in their personal lives and “Approachable, always there to help”. There were regular staff meetings at different levels of the service to understand any challenges and share any changes and developments. Staff told us they felt supported by the meetings and felt confident to contribute.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Speak up guardians were in place and staff knew how to contact them if they needed.

Staff told us they felt listened to by leaders, they were confident any concerns they raised would be dealt with appropriately. Their comments included, “I can raise things in supervision and at other times if I need and want to say something” and “The manager is very good with dealing with any issues”. Staff told us they were invited to complete anonymous surveys each year and “I can an put down what I need to and always get feedback”.

Relatives told us they were able to speak to leaders if they needed. One relative told us, “I can phone them at any time. I have the managers mobile number and contact them if I need too”.

The provider and registered manager valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

There were policies in place to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff told us these were followed by leaders, including “We are treated well and fairly. I feel we are listened to”. The registered manager was driving the celebration of diversity within the staff team. They had organised cultural events where staff could get together and share their cultures and backgrounds, including, foods, music, traditional dress and festivals.
 

The registered manager and provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

There were effective processes in operation to monitor the quality of the service. Leaders completed audits of the service each month, which were overseen by the registered manager and provider. The registered manager told us they trusted the leadership team to identify and act on any shortfalls found. The provider’s electronic care planning system highlighted any changes in people’s needs and staff took action to address them. These were checked by a senior manager to ensure actions had been effective. The provider’s quality and standards team also completed checks on the service and found the staff team had a good record of enabling people to develop their independence which had reduce the support they needed from staff.

Staff understood their responsibilities and roles. There was a clear leadership structure and staff knew who they were accountable to and their role in supporting people. There was a programme of staff meetings to ensure staff at all levels of the organisation were kept up to date and had the opportunity to share ideas and raise any concerns. The registered manager met with service managers weekly and people’s safety was central to the meeting. The agenda standing items included, incidents, safeguarding concerns, staff supervision and any health and safety issues.

The provider and registered manager were clear about their legal responsibilities including when to notify us of specific events and in relation to the duty of candour.
 

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.

Leaders actively looked for opportunities to work with the local community. They had worked with a local transport providers and to look at ticket pricing for people with a disability. This was to make sure people were not discriminated against and were able to access the best value tickets. Pilots were planned and people from the service would be taking part to evaluate the impact on their lives.

Leaders had also worked with a local authority where people and staff were struggling to access social work support when they needed it. This had impacted on people’s support when their needs changed and they required additional assistance. Staff now had a named person to contact and delays had been avoided.

The provider and registered manager 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 provider had systems in operation to listen to leaders and the registered manager told us they were confident to make suggestions. They explained how the provider used project groups made up of staff at different levels of the organisation to trial new systems and processes and how they had been empowered to take part in these.

The registered manager had plans in place to drive continuous improvement in 2026. They had booked meetings with other registered managers to set targets and develop a plan which included developing staff in their careers, further improving outcomes for people and continued improvement of staff wellbeing.