Abacus Healthcare 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 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 engagement understanding challenges and the needs of people.

Staff feedback about leadership was consistently positive. They described the registered manager as approachable, visible and involved in the service through staff meetings, supervision, spot checks and, when necessary, providing care directly. Staff said they could contact management for advice or guidance and felt they were treated fairly and respectfully.

The registered manager had carefully considered how the service would grow and focused on accepting new care packages in areas where the provider was already delivering care. They demonstrated a good understanding of the service’s capacity and the factors that needed to be considered before expanding further. This helped ensure growth was planned safely and sustainably.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was actively involved in the day-to-day running of the service. There was a clear management structure, with senior staff having defined responsibilities and receiving training and development to support them in their roles.

The registered manager was suitably qualified and experienced, with a background in nursing and health and social care. They demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities and an open and reflective approach to feedback. They also used professional networks and external resources to keep their knowledge and practice up to date.

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

Staff told us they felt comfortable approaching management with questions or concerns and were confident these would be taken seriously. They described senior staff as calm, fair and professional when responding to any issues raised.

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 policies and procedures in place to promote equality, diversity and inclusion within the workforce. Staff told us they were treated fairly and with respect and felt well supported in their roles.

Leaders promoted a positive and inclusive working environment where individual differences were recognised and valued. This included considering staff wellbeing when planning work schedules and providing opportunities for staff to share feedback about their working experiences and conditions.

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 had effective auditing and governance processes in place. This included live monitoring of care, enabling them to respond promptly when issues were identified. Further audits included incidents, care records and medicines records. Where concerns were identified, the registered manager addressed these with staff through messages, team meetings and individual supervision. These processes helped to ensure the registered manager had effective oversight of the quality and safety of the service. The provider had ensured CQC was notified of notifiable incidents as required.

The provider had effective information governance processes. Records were stored securely and only accessible to authorised people. People and relatives could be given access to the electronic care planning system to view care records where this had been agreed with the person, and access permissions were regularly reviewed. This helped protect people’s privacy and confidentiality.

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 told us decisions about involving external professionals were led by people’s wishes and desired outcomes. People’s consent was sought before professionals were contacted on their behalf. However, the provider understood their responsibility to act where there were concerns about a person’s safety or wellbeing. This helped ensure people received the professional input they needed while remaining in control of decisions about their care and support.

Staff worked in partnership with other professionals when needed to help ensure people received personalised care and support. The registered manager was also part of professional networks, which supported the sharing of best practice, awareness of regulatory updates and workforce development.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation.

The registered manager actively sought opportunities to improve systems and processes to enhance the quality of care and governance within the service. For example, they were responsive to feedback from CQC about opportunities to develop care planning guidance. They also maintained ongoing quality improvement plans, using the outcomes of audits to identify areas for development and drive improvements across the service.