AAT Quality Care Agency 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 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 registered manager and staff shared a common understanding of what good care looked like, and how they should work together to achieve it, and ensured good outcomes for people. Induction, training, learning and reflection all ensured staff were reminded of their core purpose and supported to continue achieving it. Staff believed in the positive impact they could have in people’s lives. One member of staff said, “[Registered manager] makes sure we give the best care to people that we can. We want to make a positive difference to them.” People, their representatives and external professionals felt the service was very well-led, with the registered manager being visible and accountable. One external professional told us, “I feel that AAT Quality Care is led well, and their staff are confident and competent.” Policies and procedures had regard to equality and human rights, equity of care experiences, diversity and inclusion and the needs of people.

The registered manager understood the context in which they delivered care and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. They had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. The registered manager knew the service, people and staff well. Staff were positive about the management of the service. We saw the registered manager had a good relationship with people and staff. There was an open and inclusive culture at the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The registered manager welcomed feedback from people, relatives, staff and other professionals. There was a whistleblowing policy in place and staff were aware of this and how to raise any concerns if they needed to. Staff felt if they shared concerns or feedback with the registered manager, this would be listened to and actioned appropriately.

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.
There were policies and procedures in place to support non-discriminatory and equitable staff recruitment. Processes were in place to support staff to carry out their roles. Staff had completed equality, diversity and inclusion training.

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.

A quality assurance process was in place, designed to give an effective overview of quality of the service and identifying any shortfalls. However, despite systems being in place, they had not always ensured discrepancies were identified and addressed in respect to medicines management. Other systems of governance needed to be embedded further in respect to the analysis of accidents and incidents, and the tracking of feedback received from people to ensure any learning could be implemented. The registered manager was aware of this and had been working closely with representatives from the local authority to implement and embed robust systems of governance and audit.
Staff feedback was positive about the management and support they received to do their job effectively. Staff understood their role and responsibilities. A staff member told us, “[Registered manager] is firm but fair, she wants to do the best for us and the clients.”

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 and staff told us they worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. Partners we sought feedback from provided positive feedback about the service. One external professional told us, “They go above and beyond to serve my customer and do more than they should generally.” Records showed the service worked in partnership with social and health professionals to ensure people received safe and effective support.

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.

Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and learning so they can provide the most appropriate care for people using up to date best practice guidelines. One member of staff told us, “The training is very good, and we are told to talk with [registered manager] if there is anything we don’t understand or want to learn.”