Expert Care Solutions Ltd Fleet

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 requires improvement. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulations in relation to good governance and notifying CQC of incidents. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

At this assessment, 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.

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 and registered manager created an open culture and were open to learning and improvement. The registered manager ensured the carers shared the values of the company and delivered safe, quality care to people. People were encouraged to provide feedback on the care they received, and this helped shape their service. A staff member said “From the time I arrived, I felt part of a family. The registered manager and coordinator get this message across to us by talking and listening to me; they understand. I was supported straight away to gain skills.”

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 members said the registered manager was supportive and responsive when they made contact. Regular staff meetings were in place where any concerns could be discussed. One member of staff said, “I would recommend working for the company.” Another member of staff said, “I feel confident that the manager has my best interests at heart, I am offered good opportunities, and we speak about career development.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff felt supported by management and stated that they were very approachable. People, their relatives and staff told us they would confidently speak up and felt listened to. One person said, “I have open communication with the manager, the office responds promptly to all my emails.” Another said, “If something was wrong I would go straight to the manager, I know she would listen.” Staff were given the opportunities to voice any concerns and a staff member said, “I am confident to raise my concerns and speak up.”

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 provided positive feedback about their experience of working at the service and told us they felt equally treated and supported by leaders. The company provided support for staff who were on sponsorship visas and who had recently arrived in the UK from other countries to work. This support included providing them with accommodation when they first arrived and providing their pay in advance if necessary. Staff said that they were treated fairly, received sufficient training, and were encouraged to take further training to progress their careers.

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. There were effective quality checks in place to ensure people received the care they consented to. For example, regular checks were completed on the administration of medicines to ensure people received them as prescribed. Staff told us they received regular spot checks to ensure they arrived on time and provided care in accordance with people’s wishes.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information with partners such as with GP’s occupational therapists, social workers and the district nurse and collaborated for improvement.

The management team reviewed incidents, accidents, or dangerous occurrences to identify areas for improvement. They shared learning across the organisation to ensure lessons learnt were cascaded to staff to help improve care.

People were supported by staff and the management team to engage with their local communities and partners. This included GPs, District Nurses and others involved in their care and support. This supported them to remain in control of their own care and supported their own independence. For example, the service had made referrals to other agencies to request walking aids, replacements to damaged equipment and to request a period of respite.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation, and improvement across the organisation. A regular internal quality assurance audit was in place to review different areas of business, for example incidents and accidents were regularly reviewed to see if any themes could be identified and improvements made. Staff said that when incidents happened, such as a fall, they were investigated appropriately by the registered manager. The introduction of an electronic call management system meant staff attendance at calls was monitored regularly. Any arising issues, such as lateness to calls could be identified and followed up on. Staff at the office were on-call to attend care visits if required in an emergency to ensure no care visits were missed. People we spoke with confirmed that no care visits had been missed.