Reliable Community Care Services 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. This was 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 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. The registered manager told us their aim was to provide people with carers that could deliver high-quality services to enable them to live independently in the comfort of their own homes.A staff member told us they wanted to help people enjoy their lives, raise their confidence and promote their independence.

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 registered manager was knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2014. Notifications were submitted to the CQC as required. They understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. Throughout our assessment of the service, the registered manager and the staff we spoke with acted with openness and transparency. The registered manager was experienced and demonstrated commitment to working closely with people and their families, staff and health and social care professionals to ensure good standards of care was maintained. The registered manager told us they were well supported by the care coordinator to help run and monitor the service.

A person using the service told us, “I have used the service for over 2 years. I have had the same carers. I am very happy with them; the registered manager calls me to make sure everything is alright.” Management support was available for staff when they needed it. The registered manager operated an out of office hours contact number where staff could contact them if they need any advice or support. Staff were positive about how the service was run and about the support they received from the registered manager. A staff member told us, “The registered manager is very approachable and listens to us.”

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

A person using the service and a relative told us they were regularly asked for feedback about the service they received and could always talk to the registered manager when they wanted. We saw completed telephone monitoring questionnaires, these indicated that people’s views about their care was sought. The registered manager told us that all the feedback they had received from people and their relative had been positive. However, if people suggested areas for improvement, they would take action to improve the service. The registered manager conducted staff spot checks within the community on a regular basis. These ensured the care and support people received was safe and delivered to a good standard.

The provider had procedures in place to help people and staff to speak up, raise concerns and whistle-blow, without fear of retribution. A staff member told us, “I know about the whistleblowing procedure, and I would feel confident to speak up if I had to.” There were regular staff meetings, a staff member told us, “The staff meetings are informative. We talk about people’s needs and what the registered manager is doing for the service. We can voice our opinions; the registered manager opens the meeting up at the end for staff to raise issues and provide their feedback.”

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.

A staff member told us they enjoyed working for the service, the staffing rota was made flexible for them as they had young children. Staff received regular formal supervision with the registered manager. The registered manager also carried out regular wellbeing checks on staff. They told us these were carried out to assess the staff members wellbeing and to identify any support needs with their workload. A staff member told us, “I love working for the service, the registered manager is very supportive, and we can always ask them for help, if need be, they will come out to help us with people using the service if there is an issue.

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.

Audits and checks were carried out to oversee good service delivery and ensure people’s safety. These covered areas such as, staff files, staff supervision and training, medicines, complaints, accidents and incidents and safeguarding concerns. People’s care plans and risk assessments were also kept under regular review. A staff member told us, “The registered manager carries out spot checks on staff, they just turn up when I am not expecting them. The spot checks are good because they check on how we are working with people and make sure we are doing things the right way. They speak with people to see if they are happy with the care they are receiving.” The registered manager told us the spot checks were conducted to ensure staff arrived on time, they followed people’s care plans, and they maintained people’s dignity and safety when providing support.

People, relatives and staff provided regular feedback about the service to help drive improvement. We saw records from telephone monitoring calls to people using the service and completed satisfaction surveys carried out with people using the service and staff. Feedback from these were positive. The registered manager told if people using the service or staff made any recommendations for improving the service they would take action to address them.

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.

A social care professional told us the registered manager had demonstrated a professional and responsive approach to care coordination. Communication was generally timely and clear, with updates provided in relation to care delivery, staffing arrangements, and any significant changes affecting people using the service. A health care professional told us the service had demonstrated excellent partnership working. Their willingness to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve alongside other professionals had helped achieve the best possible outcomes for the individual receiving support. A third professional told us the registered manager regularly attended provider forum meetings. The registered manager told us the provider forums were helpful for learning about and sharing good practice. For example, at a recent forum they learned about CQC’s new framework and what to expect from an inspection.

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. There were systems for learning. These included regular training sessions for staff, team meetings and staff supervisions. The registered manager discussed learning from accidents, incidents and complaints with staff.