Cecile Healthcare UK

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 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 registered manager told us their aim was to provide people with the best care in their own homes and treat people with kindness compassion and dignity. For staff to work learn and progress and thrive in a good working culture. A staff member told us they wanted to support people to have a higher quality of life and make sure people were treated with dignity and respect.

The registered manager demonstrated a clear understanding of their responsibility under the duty of candour. The Duty of Candour is a regulation that all providers must adhere to. Throughout our assessment of the service, management and staff we spoke with acted with openness and transparency.

The provider had inclusive leaders 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 service had a registered manager in post. The registered manager was also the registered provider. They told us they were a registered nurse, and they were supported by one of their directors and the human resource manager who offered them support and advice. The registered manager was knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2014. Notifications were submitted to the CQC as required. The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. They told us they were open and transparent with people, their relatives and professionals when things go wrong. 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. A person told us, “I am very impressed by [registered manager] and his commitment to his clients.” Another person commented, “I think it’s very well run. [Registered manager] was nurse and that gives me confidence.”

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 supportive. He makes sure we get the right training and supervision. He carries out spot checks to make sure we are doing what we need to be doing for people.” Another staff member said, “I am well supported by the manager, they support us with everything. He is always there to help, communication within the service is very effective.”

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.

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

We saw the minutes from a recent staff meeting. The meeting was attended by the registered manager, senior managers and care staff. A person using the service also attended the meeting. Issues discussed at the meeting included feedback from a person using the service about the care they were receiving. They suggested the provider could provide the staff rota earlier where possible and this was recorded as an action in the minutes. Other issues discussed at the meeting included medicines, infection control, spot checks and telephone monitoring calls, care delivery and communication, staff training, supervision and staff uniforms and service development plans for 2026.

The service had systems and processes to help ensure people knew how to speak up, raise concerns and whistle-blow, without fear of retribution. The service had a whistleblowing policy, which was reviewed and discussed with staff.

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 registered manager supported staff to feel included and treated them with equity, taking account of their individual needs. A staff member told us, “This is the best company I have ever worked for. The registered manager is very approachable, very reachable, he is part of the team. When we have team meetings the registered manager covers everything, he wants to hear all our voices, this is a very inclusive service.”

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.

Throughout the assessment, the registered manager demonstrated they had the skills and knowledge to provide a well-led service. They had a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

Audits and checks were in place to oversee service delivery and ensure people’s safety and needs were met. Audits covered areas such as, accident and incident analysis, medicines management, care plans and records, staff supervision and competence and safeguarding amongst others. The provider had effective processes and systems for storing people's care records and data was stored safely and confidentially. The provider used an electronic call monitoring system (ECM) to plan staff rotas and log people’s care visits. Office staff monitored the ECM system in real time to ensure people received their support when required. Unannounced spot checks on staff were carried out by the registered manager. The registered manager told us these 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 service improvements. The registered manager told us they maintained continual communication with people and conducted regular meetings to enhance communication and feedback. A person told us, “I find them [staff] very open and helpful, he [registered manager] visits and talks to [loved one], we are very happy.”

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.

Care records showed that staff worked well with health and social care professionals when required to ensure people received appropriate care and treatment. The registered manager told us they worked in partnership with other organisations and professionals including GP’s, district nurses and occupational therapists. They also attended provider forums run by the local authority where they learned about and shared good practice. They found the forums helpful and informative. At a recent forum they learned about new safeguarding contacts and received information on who to contact if a person had a fall at home. The local authority had also provided them with training resources for staff. The registered manager told us they had recently attended fire safety and health and safety training along with a staff member.

The provider shared information and learning with staff and partners and collaborated for improvement.

There were systems and processes in place to help ensure that lessons were learnt when things went wrong. These included regular training sessions for staff, team meetings and staff supervisions. The registered manager discussed learning from accidents, incidents and complaints with staff. This supported learning and helped drive service improvements.