Kingsmith Care

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

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 outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding.

This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 96 (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 deeply embedded values-based culture where people, families and staff consistently experienced care that reflected the organisation's ethos of "Every Action Matters". Leaders successfully translated values into everyday practice, resulting in consistently positive experiences and outcomes for people.

The provider's values of compassion, integrity and respect were clearly understood throughout the organisation. Leaders described these values as being tested at recruitment, reinforced through induction, supervision, competency assessments, spot checks and leadership modelling. Staff consistently demonstrated understanding of the provider's expectations and how values translated into care delivery.

The culture was repeatedly described as supportive, open and person-centred. A care manager described the culture as "Open, transparent and kind." Staff consistently described feeling valued, supported and included.

External partners described a positive culture. One professional told us leaders demonstrated “high energy and commitment to empowering people" and described the organisation as “inclusive, flexible, caring and supportive."

The provider's values were reflected consistently across the organisation, resulting in positive experiences for people, relatives, staff and external partners.

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders were highly visible, compassionate and credible. They maintained strong oversight of care delivery while remaining directly connected to people, families and staff.

Leadership visibility was a significant strength. Managers routinely undertook care visits, spot checks, reviews, hospital visits, safeguarding enquiries and quality assurance activities. People, relatives and staff knew their managers and could contact them directly when needed.

One care manager stated, "It is not unusual for the Registered Manager and the Nominated individual to complete care visits themselves." They also told us, "People know that they can bump into both of them at any time and that they will always make time for them."

Leaders demonstrated a strong commitment to staff development and succession planning. The service regularly promoted internally, supporting progression from care assistant to senior care assistant, care coordinator, operations coordinator and care manager.

Leaders also demonstrated willingness to make difficult decisions where necessary to protect people, uphold standards and maintain culture. They had robust performance management processes and thoughtful reflection on difficult workforce decisions.

Leaders' visibility, support and commitment to development helped create a confident and capable workforce that consistently delivered high-quality, person-centred care.

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

Staff, people and relatives were encouraged to raise concerns and generally felt confident that issues would be listened to and addressed.

The provider maintained systems for recording concerns, staff grievances, complaints, compliments and whistleblowing concerns. Records demonstrated concerns were recorded, reviewed, investigated and acted upon appropriately.

Staff reported feeling able to contact managers directly and raise concerns when needed. Leaders reinforced speaking-up responsibilities through supervision, team meetings, reflective practice and governance systems.

The provider also demonstrated openness when staff raised concerns regarding scheduling, workload and travel arrangements. Leaders acknowledged concerns and explored solutions collaboratively.

Formal whistleblowing concerns were recorded and investigated appropriately. Evidence showed leaders responded sensitively, followed up concerns and used issues raised to reinforce expectations and good practice.

Leaders demonstrated a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and created a workplace where individual circumstances, abilities and aspirations were recognised and supported.

The provider actively monitored workforce diversity and used equality monitoring to understand workforce characteristics and potential barriers. Staff were encouraged to identify support needs and reasonable adjustments.

Leaders regularly implemented reasonable adjustments. Examples included altered shifts to accommodate religious observance, revised client allocations to support physical health conditions and flexible approaches to accommodate personal circumstances.

The organisation was particularly recognised externally for supporting people with learning disabilities into employment.

Staff described a culture where development opportunities were available regardless of starting role. Leaders supported progression, qualification achievement and professional development throughout the organisation.

These arrangements helped create an inclusive workforce where people were supported to develop their skills, progress in their careers and contribute fully within the organisation.

Leaders had highly effective governance systems which provided strong oversight of quality, safety, performance and sustainability. They used information proactively to identify risks, drive improvement and support positive outcomes for people.

The provider maintained comprehensive governance arrangements which included medicines audits, infection prevention and control audits, manager visits, quality reviews, supervision and appraisal monitoring, competency assessments, annual learning reviews and service improvement plans. These systems enabled leaders to monitor quality, identify themes and respond promptly when improvements were needed.

Managers maintained direct oversight of people's experiences through regular quality assurance visits and contact with people, relatives and staff. Governance information was used to review risks, monitor outcomes and ensure care remained safe, effective and person-centred. Records demonstrated leaders acted on findings from audits, incidents and feedback and tracked the effectiveness of actions taken.

The provider demonstrated a forward-looking approach to governance. Service improvement plans identified priorities such as medicines management, falls prevention, Mental Capacity Act 2005 practice, staffing, emergency planning and environmental sustainability. Progress was monitored through identified actions, accountable leads and review processes, providing assurance that improvements were planned, implemented and reviewed.

Workforce oversight formed a key part of governance systems. Leaders monitored training, supervision, competency, appraisal, workforce stability and staff wellbeing. Records showed the provider had a stable and experienced workforce. Governance systems enabled leaders to monitor workforce capability, identify development needs and support ongoing staff learning and progression.

Leaders also used governance systems to support organisational learning. Information from incidents, audits, medicines reviews, safeguarding concerns and quality assurance activity informed the annual learning review, which resulted in measurable changes to policies, processes and practice. Learning was shared through supervision, team meetings, competency reviews and governance discussions to support continuous improvement.

As a result, governance systems not only monitored performance but drove service improvement, supported sustainability and provided leaders with assurance that people consistently received high-quality care.

The provider worked exceptionally well with health, social care and community partners to improve outcomes for people. Partnership working was proactive, collaborative and had a demonstrable impact on people's lives.

Leaders developed and maintained effective relationships with healthcare services, community organisations and voluntary groups. Partners described communication as responsive, open and focused on achieving the best outcomes for people receiving support.

Stakeholders consistently reported positive experiences of working with the provider. One partner told us, “We very much value Kingsmith Care as a partner organisation" and described the relationship as highly effective, with regular communication and a shared commitment to supporting people.

Another stakeholder said communication was “timely, professional and essential for the outcomes of a person" and explained that staff contributed valuable information which supported care planning and decision-making. They also described how the provider had “made a big difference in their lives" for people with complex long-term health conditions because staff knew people well, recognised changes quickly and adapted support in response to changing needs.

Partners also highlighted the provider's strengths in building relationships, sharing information, recognising concerns and responding promptly when needs changed. This collaborative approach helped ensure people experienced coordinated support and positive outcomes.

As a result, people benefited from strong partnership working that improved continuity, supported access to services and contributed to maintaining independence and wellbeing.

Continuous learning and improvement were embedded throughout the organisation. Despite already being rated as outstanding at the previous assessment, leaders continued to identify opportunities for improvement, strengthen practice and improve outcomes for people.

The provider maintained an annual learning review, service improvement plans, competency monitoring and governance systems which ensured learning was translated into action. The 2026 annual learning review identified themes relating to medicines management, incident recording, moving and handling, dietary risks and MCA practice, resulting in service-wide improvements.

Leaders responded proactively by strengthening medicines governance, improving incident categorisation, reviewing SALT guidance, enhancing oversight of people with changing needs and reinforcing processes around MCA assessments and best interest decision-making. Action plans were monitored and reviewed to ensure improvements were implemented and sustained.

The provider used learning to improve both safety and quality. System and documentation issues led to changes in recording processes and scheduling oversight, while learning from equipment refusals resulted in strengthened MCA reviews, risk assessment processes and multidisciplinary involvement. Leaders also increased supervisory checks for people living with dementia and those whose needs were changing rapidly.

This demonstrated that learning was not confined to individual incidents but informed wider improvements across the service. Governance systems supported continuous learning, strengthened practice and drove measurable improvements across multiple areas of service delivery. As a result, people benefited from a provider that continually sought to improve quality rather than relying on previous success.