QH Care Services Limited

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 service since their registration in February 2023. 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.

Staff understood their responsibility to provide safe, high-quality person-centred care to people, in line with the provider’s vision and values for the service.

The provider’s policies, procedures and processes supported the vision and values for the service.

The registered manager used spot checks, supervision and staff team meetings to make sure staff understood how the service’s vision and values should be achieved through their working practices. A staff member told us, “They provide detailed explanations, when asked for assistance, and offer encouragement and feedback during supervision sessions and appraisals which has improved my confidence in the care I provide.”

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.

People spoke highly of the registered manager and their leadership and management of the service. A relative told us, “Leadership is present, involved, and compassionate. They understand that people like [family member] need a specific kind of care, and they provide it."

The registered manager was experienced and had a good understanding of the health and social care sector. They undertook continuous learning and development to increase their skills and knowledge and encouraged the whole staff team to do the same. The registered manager clearly understood the needs of people using the service and how these should be met through the provision of safe, high-quality person-centred care.

Staff told us managers were experienced, knowledgeable and supported them in their roles. A staff member said, “Managers have the knowledge and experience in providing the support and guidance to us. They have a good understanding of the standard of care, policies and how to handle situations.”

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

People were encouraged to share their feedback about their experiences of the service. They were provided a variety of ways they could do this, for example, through an anonymous feedback form available via a web link, spot checks, telephone monitoring calls and quality surveys.

Staff were supported to speak up if they had any concerns. A staff member told us, “Myself and every other staff member are constantly encouraged to speak up when something is wrong.” The registered manager said, “We have one-to-one sessions with staff and we encourage the staff to talk with us about any concerns. We have created a culture where it’s like family, so I make sure I am available to staff when they need us.”

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 were valued and treated equally and fairly. Staff received the same opportunities to learn and progress in their roles. They were provided with relevant training to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

The registered manager understood the importance of a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff. They told us, “We make sure staff get the same pay, job descriptions and training. They all have the opportunity to do the training they need and as part of their role we encourage them to develop how they want. In our service we are very diverse so we understand the barriers staff can experience with bullying.”

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.

The provider’s governance systems supported the registered manager to undertake regular checks and audits of the quality and safety of care and support provided to people. Outcomes from checks and audits were used to make any changes required and support staff to improve their working practices. The registered manager told us, “We use the one-to-ones, appraisals, team meetings and outcomes of spot checks and feedback forms to make sure staff are delivering the best care they can.”

The registered manager understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

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.

People and staff were encouraged to give feedback about how the service could be improved. A relative told us, “They are open to feedback and actively encourage it. You feel like your voice matters, and that your experience is genuinely important to them.” A staff member said, “I am given the opportunity to share my views and thoughts on how we could improve our services regarding the people I support and how we could also improve as an organisation.”

The provider worked well with healthcare professionals to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high-quality care to people. They followed guidance and recommendations from professionals, to support staff learning and improve the safety and quality of the delivery of people’s care and support.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

There was a focus on continuous improvement at the service. Since the service was registered, the provider had made improvements to recruitment processes and introduced an electronic records management system. The registered manager told us the improvements had led to positive impacts on service delivery. They said, “From day one we were struggling to recruit staff…we signed up to use (online) recruitment tools and applications and this increased our exposure, and we received more applications. We introduced [electronic records management system] after registration and moved away from paper-based records. I am able to monitor our staff more effectively. We are able to track the care and support provided in real time and case trail. We get alerts when care tasks have not been completed. Staff can get the policies and procedures through the system as well. Staff also have instance access to care records.”

The registered manager used learning, from feedback and outcomes from audits and checks, to make improvements to the quality and safety of the care and support provided to people. They were a member of national and local networks and attended meetings and conferences to continually improve their knowledge and practice in relation to how the service is delivered to people, which they shared with the staff team.