Nightingale Homecare East Sussex 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 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 registered manager 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. The registered manager had been in place since the service opened and was fully invested in its continued development, placing people at the centre of any future plans. The registered manager planned for the service to grow but without compromising care, they aimed to continually improve the service provided to people. They acknowledged the importance of the staffing team and placed regular and relevant training to equip staff to be able to perform to the highest standards, at the centre of future plans. Also acknowledging the significance of a well looked after and supported staff team where a constant work life balance can be maintained. The registered manager fostered a culture of inclusion among staff, where everyone felt comfortable and supported.

The registered manager 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 registered manager had an appointed deputy and team leaders as well as dedicated office staff. This structure provided an effective framework to support staff so there was always someone who could be contacted if needed. All staff we spoke to told us the registered manager and wider management team were visible, available and supportive to them. They were easy to contact and would consistently address any questions or issues staff had, straight away to enable them to carry on with their work.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had various and regular ways of speaking up to raise issues, concerns or share good practice. The registered manager held regular supervision meetings with staff and they told us this was an opportunity to discuss anything they needed to. Regular team meetings were held and again this provided further opportunity to speak up. Due to staff working different shifts the registered manager now held 2 team meetings on consecutive days to attempt to capture as many staff as possible. Those still unable to attend could email or message in questions and everyone had access to the meeting minutes. A password protected group had been set up on staff mobile phones and fortnightly updates were sent from the registered manager. Anything that came up that was more urgent would immediately be sent out.

The registered manager 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 registered manager supported a diverse staff team. They adopted a culture at the service where different cultures and religious beliefs were supported and celebrated which in turn created a positive and happy working environment for staff. Staff told us they felt comfortable at work and knew they had the support of both the registered manager and their co-workers.

The registered manager 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 maintained oversight of all systems and processes. They were able to access immediately, staff daily notes, medicine records and reports of any accidents or incidents. Daily oversight ensured people received the best care and support. In addition, there were weekly and monthly audit processes in place. A recent review of care plans had identified peoples first names being used, rather than initials, and some instances where relatives had not been updated of changes in a timely way. Having identified these issues, the registered manager took immediate steps to rectify the shortfalls and then to share their finding with staff. Auditing processes were effective and confirmed the smooth running of the service as well as highlighting areas to address.

The registered manger 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 shared important updates and changes to people’s care arrangements with relevant professional partners. By circulating this information, it was guaranteed that all interested parties involved in supporting people, had the most up to date picture of a person’s health and social care needs. Professionals told us about this positive information loop and how it benefitted them in knowing when to step in and provide specialist support. The registered manager arranged 6 monthly social events for staff and people, bringing everyone together to celebrate and share experiences.

The registered manager 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 registered manager endorsed continuous improvement within the service. Weekly managers meetings had standing agenda items including weekly lessons learned and safeguarding learning. All learning was shared with staff. The registered manager attended quarterly registered managers forums where good practice was shared and there were opportunities to discuss issues. The registered manager brought all this learning back to the core support provided to people telling us, “It’s all about them living their best lives.”