Agincare UK Dorchester

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 management team shared a strong value base and was committed to ensuring each person received a good standard of support.

There was a strong culture of promoting people’s rights, and ensuring the person was at the centre of their support. This was regularly discussed during staff meetings and supervision sessions. Staff confirmed there was an open, supportive culture and enjoyed working for the company.

There was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. This was based on meeting people’s needs. Staff at all levels understood the shared vision of being transparent and proactive to support people to achieve their goals and keep them safe from avoidable harm.

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 from people and their relatives was mixed about being able to contact the registered manager, however, overall people and their relatives were confident in raising concerns or issues they may have. The registered manager told us they would ensure everyone was made aware of how to contact them.

The manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour and notification to CQC and other agencies including the local authority.

Staff described the registered manager as being ‘supportive, fair’ and ‘available when asked for advice.’ A staff member described how, “Management are available Out of Hours, there is an on-call number that we can easily contact if we need anything and their response is very fast”.

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

There was a clear culture based on openness and transparency. People told us they felt able to speak up to the service if needed.

Staff knew how to raise concerns, including how to ‘whistleblow’ if needed and how to access support. Whistleblowing is the act of reporting wrongdoing, misconduct, or illegal activities within an organisation.

There were clear procedures for regular contact with staff and the management team.

A staff member told us, “I feel supported to share feedback and I feel listened to. When I have raised issues, they have been taken seriously, and action has been taken where needed.” Another said they were, “Not scared to speak up and inform.” Another said “I feel free and comfortable to share feedback or concerns with all the members of the team.“

People told us they would have no hesitation in raising a concern if needed. They said they would tell a member of staff or ring the office to speak to a member of the team. People were confident they would be listened to, and their concern would be satisfactorily resolved. As a result of feedback in 2025 from ‘customer’ surveys, the provider developed a 'You said we did' pledge of what Agincare Dorchester continues to do well and ways in which to communicate.

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 encouraged an open-door policy, allowing staff to raise concerns or suggestions comfortably.

Staff told us they felt valued and respected by both the provider and the manager, they felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. A staff member told us they had received training and said, “Equality and diversity are focused on fairness and respect, ensuring everyone has equal opportunities.”

The provider had a policy in place to ensure staff were treated fairly and had equal opportunities to learn and develop their roles within the organisation. There were fair recruitment processes in place, which helped to protect the rights of staff under the Equality Act.

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 registered manager was on maternity leave at the time of this inspection. The service was being managed by the registered manager of another service owned by the provider.

Policies and procedures underpinned working practices, and this was supported by training and ongoing monitoring. The provider told us the staff team worked hard and were committed to their role.

There was evidence of a positive culture and commitment to improvement, and any issues were resolved promptly. The provider had systems in place to monitor incidents, safeguarding concerns, and missed visits, with no significant concerns identified in these areas.

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 service worked in partnership with a range of health and social care professionals and the local authority. Records showed this included people seeing GPs and community nurses.

Good, well established, links had been made with external professionals. The provider recently had a positive Quality Monitoring visit from the Local Authority. The provider used resources from external organisations and participated in local forums to network, share experiences and continually drive improvement.

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.

Audits completed had checked all parts of the service were working well, and actions were taken to rectify any shortfall or negative impact on people. Any lessons learned were shared wider within the Agincare UK group, to promote an open culture that was keen to improve.

One member of staff told us, “I have attended many of the team meetings which are very nice and give us very informative instructions.” Another described how feedback is given and learning is shared through supervision or team meetings. The registered manager described the different ways staff could provide feedback if they wished, such as a suggestion box and online noticeboard to communicate various updates or lessons learned throughout the Agincare UK group.