Right at Home Exeter & Exmouth Also known as Kintail Care 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 79 (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 service understood the challenges and needs of people being supported. The care people received reflected the service’s values and objectives as set out in their statement of purpose. The service values were Trust, Quality, Compassion and Respect. This was reflected in the conversations we had with the service management, staff and people using the service. A staff member said, “I think a lot of the ethos and principles with the way it is run here is great.”

The provider used team meetings to ensure staff were aware of their values and what was important. Meetings also communicated other key information. Staff told us they were happy with the company and its values. Staff told us there was good collaboration with the service management where they were listened to.

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.

Staff told us leaders were open and honest, and they were able to contact them when needed.Staff told us how feedback was shared with them to acknowledge people’s satisfaction. We received a very high level of feedback from staff, people and their relatives and also from other professionals. Staff spoke of support in the personal lives when unforeseeable circumstances had arisen. Comments from staff included, “They [service management] take that time with people and that makes you feel valued and I would highly recommend them to work for” and “I would say [registered manager, general manager and supervisor] are very good and always there with a listening ear, they are very much for the clients.” Another staff member described the general manager as, “One of the most considerate managers I have ever worked for.”

Feedback from people and the relatives was consistently positive. One person said, “They're very proactive; I've been ringing them a few times recently as I've had a lot of hospital appointments and they’ve been very accommodating and flexible.” A relative who told us they had called the registered manager said, “He's responded well and even came out to see mum, to get to know her and see what the issues were, which I think is really good.”

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

Staff all felt confident and comfortable speaking with the service management.The provider demonstrated an open approach in their engagement with staff and acted to address their concerns when known. Staff knew who and what to report both inside and outside of the service. One staff member told us, “The management do support staff very well and the communication is very good.”

There were systems and processes in place to support staff. There were staff meetings held for staff to receive information and communicate matters to the service management.

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.

All staff we spoke with were positive about working at Right at Home Exeter and Exmouth and felt they were treated with respect. There were staff meetings held, and the provider told us they encouraged staff to share ideas to develop the service. The provider was dedicated to supporting all members of their team. The service had an open and transparent, positive culture which made staff feel well supported.

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.

There was a clear management structure in place, with all staff being clear on their duties and responsibilities. There was a positive and supportive working relationship with the staff team and people using the service to ensure governance systems were effectively used.

A series of audit processes were completed appropriate to the service size, together with quality assurance visits and calls. Meetings were held to review care standards. Where areas for improvement were identified this was escalated and actioned. Information from governance activities was used to feedback to staff about their performance and to identify quickly if there were issues with care delivery.

There was a detailed business continuity plan in place, which included prioritising care for the most vulnerable of people supported. In the event of an emergency or disruption to business continuity, for example in adverse weather, people had their priority rating RAG (Red Amber Green) rated dependent on their level of need and vulnerability.

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.

There was evidence of partnership working with other healthcare professionals to promote good outcomes for people. Staff told us if they raised any concerns the service management would follow up with professionals in a timely manner to get the support needed for people. The service was also a registered member with the Homecare Association who support organisations involved in delivering personal care in the community.

We received feedback from a small number of third party professionals we spoke with, and no concerns were raised with us. One professional said, “Right at Home were very easy to get hold of via email or phone, very responsive. All staff I met were caring.” Another comment was, “The Right at Home carers and office staff are friendly and kind, and if I notice something like [redacted for privacy] the staff listen and call the doctor where necessary.

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.

Records showed people, relatives and staff had opportunities to feedback about the service, and this information was used to improve service delivery. The service care delivery and staff approach were kept under review by the service management who undertook regular governance and auditing activities to ensure high standards of care were maintained. This helped drive improvement.