Citywide Care Agency- Bristol

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 is the first assessment for this newly registered 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 and their communities. The provider had a staff handbook which was given to staff when employment commenced. This contained information about the values of the service and the code of conduct. Staff undertook an induction, where they were made aware of the provider’s expectations, vision, and values. The provider operated an on-call system for the staff. This helped provide advice to staff and understand any challenges they faced.

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.

Staff consistently told us how they felt supported in their roles and how they found the registered manager approachable, open, and honest.A staff member told us, “Both the office staff and the manager are really nice, and they always communicate with me.” The registered manager knew people well and kept in regular contact with them. They also visited them to carry out reviews and to discuss their care needs.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were supported to speak up if they had any concerns or suggestions to be made. This was done through 1-to-1 supervision and staff meetings. The registered manager was contactable outside of this. Staff were provided with information about how they could speak up. A staff member told us, “During our induction and training we have been given policy and procedures on how to report any concerns. This was by reporting to the manager immediately.”

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 a recruitment policy, which meant staff were recruited fairly and workforce equity was promoted. The registered manager promoted an inclusive workplace and had a good understanding of equality, inclusivity, and fairness in the workplace.

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. The provider used systems to oversee the quality of care delivered to people. Regular audits and checks were carried out to monitor the service. These included audits of people’s records, medicines, health and safety, staff records, and medicines. The service had contingency plans, to ensure the service could continue providing care in the event of an emergency.

The provider was aware of their statutory responsibilities to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about certain changes, events and incidents that affected the service.

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 registered manager was keen to build on partnerships, within the local community. They had built good relationships and networked with other providers locally. They attended engagement meetings with the local authority, to keep up to date with best practice.

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 had systems in place to learn from incidents, safeguarding and complaints. At the time of the assessment, no concerns or incidents had been reported, however processes were in place. The registered manager told us if any incidents occurred, they would investigate this, which would help to drive improvements. Staff meeting minutes showed a consistent focus on embedding learning and supported continuous improvement across the service.