Thinkempathy 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 leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 provider 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.

The provider demonstrated a clear vision and values, as reflected in their statement of purpose. The nominated individual had been actively involved in people’s lives from the point of referral onwards and maintained positive relationships with people using the service. They understood individuals’ strengths, aspirations and challenges, and focused on promoting choice, independence and personal development.

Staff described leaders as visible and supportive. Staff told us they were motivated and enthusiastic in their roles. Staff told us the working atmosphere had improved since the registered manager’s appointment in 2025, with more support and structure in place. The registered manager maintained a regular presence in the service and built positive relationships with both staff and people. Staff said leaders listened to them and kept them informed about relevant updates and changes.

Leaders understood the service’s key challenges and had identified areas for improvement. They were transparent in their approach and promptly provided information requested throughout the inspection.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Staff told us leaders were professional, approachable, and positive role models. People and relatives gave positive feedback about the leadership and told us senior staff were accessible and actively involved in the day-to-day running of the service. The registered manager promoted a ‘hands on’ approach to leadership. This included working alongside staff and taking an active role in people’s day to day life. They had a good understanding of people’s individual care needs and told us they were working towards fostering effective working relationships with people’s circle of support.

There were clear lines of communication and accountability between the nominated individual and registered manager, which helped to promote professional and effective governance oversight. This included regular meetings where key aspects of people’s care and the overall business were discussed.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of regulatory responsibilities. They understood their duty to report concerns to local authorities and CQC where appropriate. Statutory notifications were submitted as required.

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

Staff told us they felt comfortable in raising issues to senior staff and that they felt their concerns would be addressed. There were policies and procedures in place around whistleblowing, which helped to ensure staff understood how and to whom they could raise concerns. The provider had internal systems, where staff could raise any whistleblowing concerns confidentially. The provider had an internal human resources department, which helped to promote fair and equitable processes around work related issues.

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.

The provider had policies and procedures in place to promote workforce equality and diversity. Staff told us they were treated fairly and felt well supported in their roles. The provider made reasonable adjustments to meet individual’s needs, including support for staff with health or medical conditions. One staff member told us, “Whenever it has been needed, they (the leaders) have helped (by making adjustments).”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support.

Leaders had effective governance processes to oversee quality and safety. They regularly monitored care records, medicines records and activity records, and took prompt action to address issues, concerns or emerging trends. This oversight helped ensure care was delivered as planned and continued to meet people’s needs.

The provider used audit findings to share learning and promote good practice with staff. This took place through regular staff meetings, individual supervisions and targeted training in response to specific concerns or incidents. One staff member told us, “I get regular feedback from management, whether it is when I have done something well or if there are mistakes where I could do better.”

Quality assurance checks were carried out routinely, and any identified issues were addressed without delay. People, relatives and staff were asked for their views of the service. The feedback was mostly positive and there was evidence that any issues raised were followed up by leaders promptly.

Systems were in place to promote effective information governance, including appropriate secure storage and sharing of people’s personal information.

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 well with partner organisations and actively engaged with its local community to improve outcomes for people using the service. This included work to identify community-based resources that were accessible for people.

The provider focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation.

The registered manager had identified areas for improvement to strengthen the quality of care and oversight of the service. Since starting, they had supported staff to improve the standard of care recording and enhance the safety of medicines management. These changes helped to demonstrate how people’s support hours were being used and ensured medicines were managed safely.

The provider had developed a service improvement plan, outlining actions identified through feedback, audits, observations and engagement activities. Leaders reviewed progress against these actions at regular intervals to ensure improvements were implemented and sustained. There were ongoing actions around improving care documentation and engagement with people and relatives, which the registered manager told us they were working towards completing. The registered manager actively welcomed feedback during the inspection and responded quickly by putting appropriate actions in place when issues were identified.