Honeydew Healthcare Ltd

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 requires improvement. 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 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 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 and their communities.

Leaders and staff demonstrated a clear, unified vision that placed people at the heart of everything they did. The provider’s values were not only well-defined but consistently embedded into everyday practice. Staff confidently spoke about the organisation’s mission and described how it shaped their approach to care. Comments included: ““The mission statement is to provide compassionate, high-quality care that improves the wellbeing of people” and “To be a leading healthcare provider” and “one of the goals we work towards is making sure people are respected and have a voice”.

The culture was inclusive, transparent and focused on continuous improvement. Leaders promoted equity, diversity and human rights and ensured these principles were reflected in policies and in practice. Staff told us they felt empowered to challenge poor practice and share ideas for improvement, and they were confident their voices were heard. This openness created a strong sense of trust and accountability across the service.

We saw evidence of collaborative working between leaders and staff to embed person-centred care. For example, team meetings included reflective sessions where staff discussed real scenarios and explored how organisational values overlapped with best practice such as NICE guidance.

Leaders encouraged innovation and celebrated success, reinforcing a culture where learning was valued and shared.

People and relatives consistently described the service as compassionate and well-led. One relative told us: “The team really care – you can see it in everything they do. My family member really likes their carer.” This shared direction and culture meant people experienced care that was not only safe and effective but delivered with dignity, respect and genuine commitment to improving lives.

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. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Feedback we received from both staff and relatives showed that leaders were compassionate, inclusive and trustworthy. Staff were happy and confident in how to perform their duties. Comments included “[Leaders] are client focussed” and “[Staff] are caring and interactive. [My relative] has a good staff team, with one person going above and beyond their remit”.

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

The provider had a whistleblowing policy which had been reviewed, and staff knew how to raise concerns. All people were regularly contacted by the registered manager – and asked to provide their honest accounts of care they were receiving from the provider.

Staff told us they were confident if they raised a concern the registered manager would take the appropriate action. Staff felt the registered manager was approachable and supportive. One relative told us that when they had to raise a concern, they were listened to and their comments were actioned immediately by leaders.

People told us they were informed of how to raise a concern when they first started using the service and the complaints procedure was placed in an accessible file within people’s homes. There were systems to enable people to give their views about the service they received. There was an up to date speaking up policy, easy read documentation and people were encouraged to feedback via anonymous surveys on their care and support. Leaders also sought annual formal feedback on the care delivered. Records showed any shortfalls or suggestions for improvement were properly investigated, with lessons learnt to minimise a reoccurrence.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair

culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us they were treated as individuals by the provider. They felt listened to and encouraged to speak up in team meetings and share ideas.

The provider had introduced a migrant worker training programme. This programme had an allocated person within the organisation who oversaw cultural and spiritual needs of overseas workers. Comments included “it prepares and trains us on how to deliver the best possible care in Britain” and “it means our job has a purpose of fulfilment for people”.

The provider ensured that this programme was nationally recognised, accredited and was tailored to each migrant worker’s individual needs and country of origin. The training programme also included ways to culturally assimilate to British culture and traditions.

Leaders recognised this was important especially when staff were providing care to older people.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good 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.

Leaders completed a range of audits and observations of staff practice to monitor the quality of the service. This information was used to plan improvements. For example, gaps in staff knowledge were identified as a lessons learnt exercise. These gaps were then formatted and put into a document for staff to read. The provider named these ‘key points’ documents which had all information and knowledge for staff. This meant risks of a closed culture among staff were mitigated.

Staff told us leaders met with the team weekly on a Monday morning. These meetings had a particular topic that the registered manager discussed with staff. For example, end of life and courageous conversations were discussed with staff as a learning exercise. This meant a solution-based approach to care and support was embedded within the organisation.

There were regular spot checks of staff’s performance and records showed the registered manager had oversight of any accidents, incidents or near miss events. There were formal processes such as staff recruitment, induction and supervisions and a range of up-to-date policies and procedures.

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.

This included a situation where a person’s needs had recently changed. In order for the person to receive the right support, the provider ensured they had open communication channels with the occupational therapy team and GP service. Managers had also used their experience to suggest improvements to the occupation therapy (OT) referral service. This included highlighting what adjustments would be useful for a person, before the OT visited.

The provider told us they worked with a range of other professionals to help make sure people received continuity in their care. This included handover and transition periods for people having short stays in hospital. People told us that the provider would visit them in hospital before they were discharged.

The provider understood the importance of accessing the community and supported people to find events and gatherings that were of interest to them. For example, swimming for a person who had difficulty with their mobility, trips out for lunch and tea and a person with complex health needs was supported to travel further regularly by the provider. This meant people maintained a social life and the risk of social isolation was reduced.

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 people’s individual needs so that they could deliver bespoke support to people.

During our onsite visit, we observed examples of how the service had worked creatively and innovatively to improve people’s quality of life. For example, a person’s needs changed significantly over night. The provider ensured technology to help them communicate was prioritised and within a few days, had implemented electronic devices so the person could communicate via a tablet.

Leaders and staff actively sought creative ways to improve equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people who were at risk of isolation due to their complex support. One person received a specialist referral outlining innovative support to managing seizures while travelling and another person received support to attend a high court appeal. Staff told us “We want people to be free and to do what makes them happy”.

People told us “Staff are always adapting and learning about my changing needs”. One relative told us “[provider] works well outside of their remit, they are just fabulous we could not have done this journey without them”.