Step Up -Domiciliary Care Also known as Step Up Supported Living Limited

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 71 (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 was passionate and committed to offer people a service which was caring, compassionate and tailored to meet the specific needs of each person. Managers worked alongside staff to ensure staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and felt listened to.

The provider’s aims and vision for the service was embedded and maintained in staff practices.

The provider and registered manager worked in an open and transparent manner. Feedback was taken seriously and used as a measure to monitor the service and drive improvement.

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.

The professional background of the nominated individual and registered manager helped them to understand and address the challenges facing the social care sector. They worked closely together to understand and overcome issues within the service and to celebrate their successes and achievements.

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

People who used the service and staff told us the management were passionate about the service and approachable. They said they felt comfortable speaking with the managers and raising concerns or making suggestions to improve the service. One staff member said, “The managers are very supportive, approachable and flexible.”

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. Policies and procedures were in place that promoted equality, diversity, and inclusion through the service. Staff told us they were treated fairly and raised no concerns about inequality within the workforce.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

Through conversation with the nominated individual and registered manager, we were assured they had personal oversight of the care being provided and responded to any concerns. However, the provider agreed to review and develop structured auditing systems to ensure people’s care remained consistently effective and to support future growth. For example, clearer systems to assist the registered manager in monitoring staff development and recruitment should be established to ensure staff were safely recruited, trained and supported to carry out their role if the service expanded.

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.

As the service was small, there had been limited need for them to work with partners or stakeholders. However, the managers understood the importance of establishing good rapports with key partners and the importance of transparency and duty of candour if things went wrong. The managers said they welcomed working in partnership with professionals and would act on their recommendations to ensure positive outcomes for people and to maintain quality of care.

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.

The managers of the service were proactive in learning from incidents, concerns and feedback from people, staff and partners. They acted on concerns and incidents in a timely manner and took time to identify the cause of concerns, learn from incidents and make improvements.