Agincare Enable Dorset

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

This service scored 89 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider had a clear focus on delivering high quality care and was strongly committed to empowering people and promoting their independence. The management team spoke passionately about their strong value base, and how they were committed to ensuring each person received a high standard of support. This approach underpinned the provider’s vision for person centred care and created an environment where people’s autonomy, comfort and individuality were prioritised. Feedback we received showed staff consistently knew people well, and promoted people’s independence, choice, and support in the least restrictive way.

There was a strong culture of promoting people’s rights, and ensuring the person was at the centre of their support. This was regularly discussed during staff meetings and supervision sessions. Staff confirmed there was an open, supportive culture and enjoyed working for the company. Staff comments about the management team included, “[The management team] are helpful and I can talk about any concerns or ask questions. They provide guidance, monitoring and feedback. We have frequent opportunities to raise any concerns”.

Staff and social care professionals described the culture as being ‘supportive, caring, nurturing, understanding, encouraging and respectful.’
There was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. This was based on meeting people’s needs. Staff at all levels understood the shared vision of being transparent and proactive to support people to achieve their goals and keep them safe from avoidable harm. The provider received several compliments that commented on how the culture had improved, and notable comments that the service had ‘significantly improved compared to previous providers’.

The provider demonstrated a positive listening culture by acting on feedback they had received and informing and updating people of any changes they made because of this. People and their relatives were consistently positive about their experiences of the provider and how the management and staff team were approachable and how they had developed positive relationships with them. Overall, feedback demonstrated a consistent pattern of effective leadership that had improved the service.

Collaborative working with the council for future provisions ensured the voice and views of people was maintained, by people being involved in decision making.

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.

The registered manager had the skills, knowledge and credibility required to lead the service effectively. They demonstrated integrity, openness and honesty in their approach, which helped create a positive culture where staff felt supported and people received high‑quality care. A healthcare professional told us, “The service demonstrated strong leadership through coordinated teamwork, ongoing staff training, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Clear communication and support for staff development have contributed to improved outcomes for people and a more confident team”.

The registered manager was involved in an external provider apprentice registered managers’ project, regarding ‘management in Health and Social Care.’ Feedback received was overwhelmingly positive and stated they [name of registered manager] “Supported the development of leadership capability, ethical practice, and quality improvement and significantly enriched the apprenticeship programme by strengthening the link between theoretical learning and operational excellence in practice”.

The registered manager spoke with compassion for the people receiving care from Agincare Enable Dorset. They described how staff consistently adapted their approach as people’s needs changed, ensuring support remained responsive, person‑centred and focused on what mattered most to everyone. They highlighted several examples where the team had taken initiative-taking steps to maintain people’s wellbeing and continuity of care, demonstrating a strong commitment to positive outcomes.

The provider and management team spoke about staff in a positive and compassionate way, demonstrating genuine appreciation for their contribution. Staff told us there was a positive culture of mutual respect, recognition and strong team morale. Staff described an ‘approachable management, strong communication, and a shared commitment to high standards.

The visible presence of the provider and management team ensured the service was not only well led but also an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone. Staff spoke positively about the management team.

The leadership team fostered a culture of openness, trust and respect, where people, families and staff felt valued, supported and empowered.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt able to speak up to the provider if needed. They said they would tell a member of staff or ring the office to speak to a member of the team. One relative said, “Yes I do express my views and they do listen.” Another told us “Yes, they are very good and we have had little issues, here and there. But when we need to sort this out, they have bent over backwards to do it.” People were confident they would be listened to, and their concern would be satisfactorily resolved.

Records showed complaints were dealt in line with policy and compliments were shared with the staff team. There were clear procedures for regular contact with staff and the management team. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns or suggestions and felt listened when they did. This showed there was a clear culture based on openness and transparency.

Staff knew how to raise concerns, including how to ‘whistle blow’ if needed and how to access support. Whistleblowing is the act of reporting wrongdoing, misconduct, or illegal activities within an organisation.

There were clear procedures for regular contact with staff and the management team which provided an opportunity for staff and leaders to speak up.

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.

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. Workforce wellbeing and enablement were at the fore front central to delivering safe, compassionate, and person-centred care. Staff feedback highlighted a strong sense of pride in working for an organisation that was caring, supportive, and committed to quality. This supportive ethos enabled staff to feel valued, confident, and motivated in their roles, whilst supporting professional development and career growth.

Staff told us they were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment.

There were fair recruitment processes in place, which helped to protect the rights of staff under the Equality Act 2010.

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 were a range of audits within the service to check safety and quality. Audits were completed on a regular basis to identify any themes and trends. There was evidence of a positive culture and commitment to improvement, and any issues were resolved promptly.

Feedback provided during this inspection demonstrated the management teams’ responsiveness and commitment to continuous improvement. Throughout our inspection, the management team was motivated to learn and improve the service.

Policies and procedures underpinned working practices, and this was supported by training and ongoing monitoring. The provider told us the staff team worked hard and were committed to their role.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered manager and the provider understood the importance of working collaboratively with external professionals to ensure continuity of care for people. The service had built very positive working relationships with partners to network and share experiences and ideas of ways to develop. The commitment of staff in supporting and encouraging people to be active participants within their local community, had a significant and positive impact on their wellbeing. The diversity and frequency of activities, enabled people to stay connected, fully participate in community life, and maintain relationships. For example, people attended events hosted by the local council to provide feedback and insight into future property and environmental design. People were supported to arrange a Down Syndrome Day event. This included members of the local community being invited to a day that was designed to strengthen connections and celebrate neurodiversity. This raised the community’s awareness around disability and down syndrome to help reduce discrimination and to promote equity

and also helped to build friendships and local social connections.

The service was praised by health and social care professionals for their care and the positive impact on people.An example made included, “I have seen nothing but improvement, commitment, and dedication from the team. Every member of staff has always been incredibly helpful and kind, and each person clearly has a genuine passion for supporting people and helping them achieve their goals. The management team are always approachable and attentive, and over the past two years we have built a great working relationship. I just wanted to recognise the excellent work being done and to say thank you for the continued care and support the team provides”.

This demonstrated highly effective systems were in place to foster good working relationships with community health care teams and the local authorities. Good, well established, links had been made with external professionals and local provider support groups. This enabled opportunities to network, share experiences and ideas of ways to develop Agincare Enable Dorset.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

People were supported to take the lead in planning their own support. This included people devising training and "About Me" sessions to help staff understand their individual needs better so they could provide more personalised support. Local healthcare professionals used these resources to train staff from other organisations.

Peoples’ feedback and ideas were listened to and embedded in future planning and initiatives. Such as projects to improve shared spaces and opportunities for outdoor activities, wellbeing, and learning new skills. This showed co production was fully built into the culture of the service, and in improving the quality of the service people experienced.

The provider demonstrated effective systems for driving improvement. They analysed information from accidents, incidents, complaints and safeguarding alerts to identify patterns. These findings, along with feedback from people and stakeholders were used, to inform and update the service improvement plan.

The service adopted a personalised recruitment approach designed around the needs, interests and preferences of people using the service. The recruitment materials we saw contained detailed information about the people l being supported and their specific ‘wish list’ regarding the applicant’s characteristics. This demonstrated an approach intended to fully involve people in the planning and delivery of their care, developing the service and to align staff values and interests with the needs of people using the service.

People were actively involved in recruitment of potential staff, such as developing personalised adverts, visits as part of recruitment processes, and consideration of candidates' values and compatibility with each person. We saw this approach had been successful in recruiting the right person for the role and had increased people’s confidence, opportunities to develop independence, access the local community and achieve personal goals. This creative way demonstrated this approach was successful.

Openness and transparency about safety was actively encouraged and embedded in the service. Staff told us Agincare Enable Dorset “Is committed to learning, adapting, and improving to ensure the best possible outcomes for the people it supports. And “The service is always trying to improve by listening to feedback, reviewing incidents, and providing regular training and support for staff”. A social care professional told us, “We meet fortnightly for an open discussion and [registered manager and deputy manager] are very open to feedback”.
Staff training records were routinely monitored to ensure staff remained competent and knowledgeable. There was a clear organisational focus on continuous improvement and innovation, with person centred practice evident throughout the service. Staff were supported through regular training, supervision and the use of electronic systems to monitor performance and professional development. Staff supervisions were used as an opportunity to fully reflect on incidents that had occurred and consider what could be done differently. Any learning was shared with the wider staff team. This approach supported a strong learning culture where staff were encouraged to reflect on their practice, share insights and continuously improve the quality and safety of care.

Audits completed had checked all parts of the service were working well, and actions were taken promptly to rectify any shortfalls. Any lessons learned were shared within the staff group, to embed any improvement, to promote an open culture that was keen to improve outcomes for people. The findings of a recent people survey showed positive or very positive comments about the service. An action plan showed one shortfall had been addressed in a timely way. This was to provide an easy read complaints procedure and to discuss during keyworker sessions. The result was the person was able to describe how they would make a complaint.