Eleanor Nursing & Social Care Ltd - Poole Office

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 service 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 were committed to providing the best care. The service’s mission was to ensure everyone had the level of care and support they needed. The values of the service were trust, respect, empowerment, innovation, and fulfilment.

The service 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. We received positive feedback about the management of the service. People were supported by staff and a service where the leadership was inclusive and delivered with integrity. The registered manager consistently provided excellent leadership which had instilled confidence and compassion in the staff team. A staff member said, “I feel confident in the registered manager’s leadership. They encourage safe practice, support staff, and ensure high standards of care are maintained.” Another staff member agreed, they told us, “Communication is clear, and they promote safe, person-centred care.” Health and social care professionals told us they had confidence in the registered manager.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People and their relatives were provided with various ways to give their views on the service. They told us they were happy to speak with staff or the registered manager to address any concerns. A person said, “I can ring the office at any time and discuss what I need to discuss, they always listen to me, without fail.” Staff felt comfortable raising concerns, they knew how to speak up and had confidence they would be supported. A staff member told us, “I feel encouraged to speak up and raise issues and I confident that concerns are taken seriously and acted upon appropriately.”

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they felt their individuality was respected and they were accepted by their colleagues and the service. A member of staff said, “Communication with the office is good, and support is available when needed. I feel they are part of the Eleanor Care family”. Another staff member said, “Highly satisfied with the teamwork. Staff are always there to help with any problems we come across.” The registered manager told us teamwork was strong within the service. Staff preferences and individual circumstances were considered and supported. Equality, diversity and inclusion were included throughout all policies and procedures.

The service 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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. Governance systems were in place which gave the manager oversight of the service. Checks were also completed at provider level. Overall, these systems were used effectively to identify shortfalls, errors and omissions. However, medicines audits had not always correctly identified where there had been medicines errors or shortfalls. Other checks had not highlighted lack of person-centred information in support plans. The registered manager responded immediately by putting additional support and training in place to strengthen these processes.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. The service worked with a wide range of professionals and services to support people in their own homes. We received positive feedback from external stakeholders and professionals who worked alongside the service. One professional told us, “I am extremely pleased with the service, they take responsibility, they know the people they help, it’s a great service that they provide. It definitely feels like a strong partnership as we all try to work together to help people that need our services.” The registered manager told us about a number of community and local ties, this included working alongside another health and social care provider, where they would share knowledge and experiences. The service often organised fundraising for charities.

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The registered manager told us about the ways in which they were continually looking to improve the service. This included being proactive in identifying shortfalls through their audits and checks and enhancing their auditing process to ensure their effectiveness. There was an on-going commitment to keep staff well at work and the service was looking at implementing mental health first aiders. We were told about other initiatives, such as, being part of boards and organisations within Health and Social Care and developing the registered manager’s skills in assessing people’s needs.