Guardian Homecare (Tatton Gardens)

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 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 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 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 manager had the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience to effectively lead the service, which they did so with integrity.

The provider aimed to give people consistently good care, and staff worked effectively together to achieve this. The provider had a digital app all staff had access to, and this was instrumental in building a culture of transparency and sharing of success along with lessons learned.

The provider 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.

Staff felt there was an ‘open and supportive’ culture within the service. Staff felt the registered manager and senior staff were supportive of them on both a personal and professional level and were compassionate to their individual needs.

People felt the management were visible and approachable and listened to any concerns. A person said, “They come to do a report every so often. They are easy to talk to. I speak to the team leader if I ever have any problems. I raised concerns about the previous carers. They listened to me. I saw what was happening, the carers not doing their job and spoke to them. The carers never came back.” This demonstrated the management team listened to concerns and responded.

Feedback from people and their relatives was complimentary of the management and leadership of the service. Comments included,“The manager has listened to concerns and acting on them quickly.”

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

Staff were able to speak out and share their views and ideas about the service. Staff were aware of the whistle-blowing procedures and felt confident in raising concerns. We were told managers listen and acted on information shared. One staff member told us, “The manager is very good. I wouldn’t have any problems going to her with any worries or concerns. I know she would help us all get to where we need to get to. I would have no concerns speaking up if I thought she was doing anything wrong, I know she would welcome the discussion.”

Opportunities were provided for people to share their views about the quality of the care they received. This was gathered by the completion of a survey and action plans were developed to address any concerns shared.

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.

Staff told us they were treated well and worked well together. Staff said they were actively involved through staff meetings, and the manager had an open-door policy where they felt able and confident their concerns and ideas would be heard. One staff member said, “I have a very good relationship with the manager and my line managers and anything I need or have concerns with or any advice needed to complete my duties I go directly to them for advice and are they are genuinely helpful for me to complete my duties to my best.”

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.

Systems were in place to evidence effective management and oversight of the service. Audits and checks were completed to monitor the service. In addition, there was a quality team who undertook branch audits to identify areas for continuous improvement and development, following a robust audit framework. Regular meetings between the manager, regional manager and head of quality were held to work through improvements and areas for development.

The manager understood their responsibilities in relation to their regulatory requirements around notifiable incidents.

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 provider worked closely with a number of housing and social care professionals and welcomed their advice and support in meeting the needs of people.

Feedback from professionals was positive about the management of the service and the effective working relationships established.

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.

The provider had an action plan in place that demonstrated their commitment to making improvements to people’s care. They were in the process of looking into implementing electronic records. This would enable live monitoring of medicine documentation, to ensure improvements in documentation could be made.

Managers and staff recognised the importance of continuous learning to ensure they maintained person-centred and safe care for the people they supported.