Zach's Care

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 inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection 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.

The registered manager and management team took action to resolve some areas that needed improvement during this inspection in relation to care plans and care visit monitoring. Governance measures and audits were effective in monitoring the quality of the service and implementing and making improvements in other areas where necessary. There was a positive culture at the service. People were happy with their support and the staff enjoyed working at the service.

This service scored 71 (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 culture at the service was very positive. Staff understood their main role was to support people to have the best experiences possible. People were happy with their care and support. The management team had clear visions and a direction for the service and shared this with the staff team. This had resulted in an environment and culture where people felt well supported and staff enjoyed working at the service and supporting people. One person said, ‘‘It is an excellent service, and I have no complaints whatsoever.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘I think the service is exceptionally well run and they always make sure they keep us up to date with what is going on. We very much feel like we are important to the staff and the managers of the service.’’

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. The management team were compassionate and inclusive and described themselves as part of the staff team. Staff told us the management team were approachable and included them in discussion about the service and how best to support people. The management team were capable in their job roles and had a good oversight of the service. They understood their regulatory responsibilities and took action to improve where necessary. People and their relatives were positive about how the service was being managed. One relative told us, ‘‘They are a very good service and the [management team] know how to help staff be the best they can be. They are approachable and flexible and me and [family member] value this.’’

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. There was a complaint and speaking up policy in place at the service. Where people had raised concerns in the past these had been looked in to and addressed promptly. The person raising the concern had been consulted to help make sure they were happy with the response from the management team. People and family members told us they knew how to raise concerns but had no reason to do so. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns and felt comfortable and confident in speaking up at the service. One family member said, ‘‘We have had no need to raise concerns but know how to do so.’’

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 told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt well supported by the management team. The provider supported their equality and wellbeing by offering preferred working patterns and discussing their job roles with them regularly. The providers recruitment process was fair and equitable.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. Audits and governance measures had not identified that people’s care plans were not always detailed with their support needs. Staff were supporting people well in relation to having flexible care visit times and changing these at people’s requests. However, these changes were not being monitored, increasing the risk of mistakes being made with people’s care visits. The management team took action during our inspection to update care plans and make them more detailed and to start monitoring requested changes to people’s care visit times.

Other audits and governance measures at the service were effective and the management team had a good oversight of risk and the quality of people’s care and support. This covered areas such as medicines, improvements to the service, people’s experiences and staff training and supervision.

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 management and staff team had good working relationships with partners such as health professionals and the local authority. Staff supported people to be a part of their community if this was part of their support. One person said, ‘‘I think the service is excellent. If they ever opened a care home, then I would be first in line.’’

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement. The management team had improvement plans in place based on findings from internal and external audits and findings. Actions on improvement plans were monitored to help make sure improvements were benefitting people using the service. Staff told us they were involved in discussions about improving the service on a regular basis. Any learning was shared with them in staff meetings and supervisions. The findings at this inspection showed there had been significant improvements at the service since our last inspection. People were happy with their support and told us they felt the service was supporting them well and continually improving. One person said, ‘‘The service is fantastic. They have gone from strength to strength, and I am very happy. No worries at all.’’