Castle Care Teesdale Limited

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 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 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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. The provider and staff worked with people, and their relatives, to build a culture which focused on providing person-centred care and enabled people to remain in their own homes. A person said, “I would give Castle Care, 2 gold stars because they are so good.”

The provider 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. The management team were open and honest, and care and support were organised in a way that ensured people were treated as individuals. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service. A staff member said of the provider, “100% I would recommend working for them. They are brilliant.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff knew how to raise concerns. They told us they could raise any concerns with managers and were listened too. A staff member said, “If anything isn’t right, [managers] are at the end of the phone.” However, there was a lack of formal meetings or opportunities for staff and the provider to formally share ideas, improvements or developments. The registered manager told us they would review opportunities for meetings. Following our inspection, the provider set up a group communication system for staff to share information.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff were asked during the recruitment process if they required any specific additional help or support to enable them to complete their roles.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and 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, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The registered manager and management team had good knowledge and oversight of the service, with a range of audits and monitoring in place. They had direct contact with people who used the service and all staff every week. We found some of the audits were not recorded in detail and needed to be developed further. Following our inspection the registered manager confirmed they were reviewing governance processes.

Whilst staff told us they worked alongside managers regularly, formal spot checks of staff performance were not in place. We discussed this with the provider, they confirmed following our inspection, that formal spot checks had been put in place and had been undertaken with all staff.

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.

Staff supported people to access health care services and were committed to enabling people to remain part of their local communities.

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 provider and management team showed a commitment to improvement and development of the service.