Radfield Home Care Guildford & Woking

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 registered service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

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 which went beyond the realm of the organisation to involve the wider community and improve local systems. 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 service had a strong, values-driven culture where people, relatives, and staff consistently experienced kindness, respect, inclusion, and compassion. The provider and management team showed an exceptional commitment to ensuring their vision for the service was carried forward through into people receiving highly personalised care and support. All those spoken with, compliments received, and reviews of the service highlighted the caring nature of staff and the person led culture. They described staff taking time to get to know people and consistently going above and beyond to ensure they felt cared for, cared about, and enabled to live their life how they wished. The management team and office staff also received praise and recognition for their consistent support, flexibility, skill and knowledge. One relative told us, “I wish I could find the words to describe what they have all done for us and the different it has made. We can’t bear to think how things would have been without them.”

The values-based leadership within the service ensured staff had a clear understanding of the positive culture the provider wanted people and staff to experience. Staff were motivated and empowered to achieve good outcomes for both individuals and the service as a whole. The management team ensured staff were fully involved in developing the service by encouraged them to share ideas and be fully involved in meetings. They openly recognised and shared examples of compassionate, person-centred care and demonstrated their appreciation of their team. Staff told us they felt extremely valued in their roles. One staff member told us, “The support we have is amazing, they make me feel appreciated and anything we need they respond straight away. I have always liked my work [in care settings], but being with Radfield [Guilding and Woking] is like coming home, it’s where I belong.”

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.

There was universal regard for the management team and the support provided to people, relatives and staff. Feedback consistently reflected their visibility, drive and compassion in their leadership approach. Comments included, “We feel we can rely on them, and they’ll be there so we can continue to be a family” and “Nothing is too much trouble for them, they always respond and ask how we all are. It’s not a passing transaction.”

Leaders demonstrated a genuine respect for the people they supported and their staff team which had led to a strong sense of teamwork and the shared goal of delivering high quality, personalised care. Staff told us they felt empowered in their roles due to the positive and enabling responses received from the management team. One staff member told us, “If I have an idea or want to try something they will always encourage me. They notice when we do something and they are always saying thank you.” Staff repeatedly told us they felt able to discuss any concerns with the management team and were always confident they would receive the support they needed. One staff member told us, “It doesn’t matter what it is you go to them with, they are really good at listening.”

Through experience, knowledge and continuous community involvement, the management team were skilled at understanding people’s needs and ensuring the right resources were made available to them at the right time. We heard countless examples of where the management team had advocated for people’s rights and ensured the correct resources were in place to enable people’s wishes and plans were respected. This included assessments from healthcare professionals in order to ensure people had the right equipment to enable them to remain in their home, accessing different funding streams to enable people to have increased support when their needs increased and accessing the ‘Hospital a Home’ team to support people who wished to avoid hospital admissions. People and their relatives said the positive impact of their support extended far beyond immediate outcomes, transforming the individual’s life and leaving a lasting legacy of appreciation. In addition, we found the capabilities and determination of leaders to improve outcomes enabled them to share knowledge, learning and support outside of the organisation.

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

Relatives told us they felt communication with the service was good. One relative said, “If you mention anything they will always do their best and if it’s something that needs more of a discussion, they will come along and visit.”

The manager told us they viewed open communication as important in building trusting relationships with people and their families. They told us, “We ensure we touch base with people and their families regularly and acknowledge whatever they say and take action. Opening up the conversation is important so they know they can contact you.” During our visit we heard a number of telephone conversations with relatives and professionals. These were conducted in a warm, open and professional manner.

The service provided an on-call service which could be contacted out of hours and had made an App available to people and relatives, so they were able to easily send messages to the office and staff.

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 felt their diversity in the workforce was respected. One staff member told us, “They respect our cultures, they give us a day off for (religious festival), and on birthdays they give a day off and a gift. Rotas are planned so we have enough time to rest.”

The provider told us they had a strong ethos of equality and inclusion within the service and were committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. To achieve this the provider had ensured they advertised posts both via usual channels both locally and overseas but also during local events such the Guildford Pride festival. Staff were encouraged to discuss diversity as part of team meetings and to share aspects of their own culture. Adjustments were also made to ensure staff could manage workloads such as offering flexible working patterns.

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.

Staff received unannounced spot checks of the support provided. This included monitoring standard expectations such as staff arriving on time, following safe infection prevention and control processes, providing people’s care in line with their care plan, ensuring the correct use of equipment and the administration of medicines. The manager told us they also used spot checks as an opportunity to monitor how the principles and values of the service were being delivered such as how staff interacted with people and their understanding of each individual’s needs and preferences.

The manager completed a range of reports on a monthly basis to monitor the service. This included a review of systems including accidents and incidents, complaints, compliments, medicines and any safeguarding concerns. In addition, Radfield’s central quality team periodically completed full audits to monitor systems and quality. The last audit demonstrated a good level of compliance with no concerns regarding the support provided to people, relatives or staff.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people.

The provider held a strong belief that people should continue to feel part of their local area and community. These values were reflected within their regular newsletters to people which stated, ‘We believe great care extends beyond the home and through local events, partnerships and community initiatives, we work to support and strengthen the communities we serve while championing healthier, happier ageing.’

A dedicated ‘Community Engagement Manager’ was employed to support these values being embedded into practice. As part of their role, they had spoken with a number of professionals and voluntary groups to determine people’s needs locally. As a result, they had started a bi-weekly group for people living with dementia. The group was open to both people using the service and to the wider community with the aim of minimising social isolation and enabling people to build local connections. The group had grown in attendance and people’s ideas and interests shaped how the group had developed. The Community Engagement Manager told us, “We plan things individually. We ask what people want, get to know them and their lives. The more personal things become, the better the group gets.” They shared the example of changing the groups playlist to incorporate a new members favourite music which they fully engaged with. The person’s relative gave feedback their family member’s demeanour had lightened, and their focus improved on their return from the group. The success and positive impact of the group had led to the Community Engagement Manager being selected as a finalist in the National Care Awards category for a ‘Dementia Friendly Community Project’.

The provider was passionate about ensuring the needs of people living with dementia were recognised and understood. Part of the Community Engagement Managers role involved delivering presentations relating to dementia in their local area with the aim of promoting understanding and inclusion. In addition, they regularly attended local markets and fetes to promote the dementia group and different dementia charities, as well as generating discussion and learning.

The provider also worked alongside local businesses to support people’s needs. This included helping people find local support such as advocates, foot care specialists and handymen. Checks were made of all businesses recommended including ensuring they had a good understanding of supporting people who were ageing and those living with dementia. People and relatives had given positive feedback in relation to this support as it took the pressure from finding someone local, reputable and understanding of their needs.

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 consistent safe and effective practice.

The provider was committed to improving health awareness and the support available to people both within their organisation and across local systems. They had used innovative ways in which to promote positive outcomes, quality of life and healthier ageing. This included facilitating a ‘Healthy Ageing’ fair to provide information about living well and accessing support in older age, this had significant impact by sharing information about vital resources. The provider had invited a range of different services including health professionals, social care and well-being organisations. The fair was advertised to both people and relatives using the service, but also within the local area. The event was well attended and provided guidance regarding living well, monitoring health and planning for the future. In addition, the provider was working with a national charity for awareness of multiple sclerosis to run an event to promote awareness of the condition and the support services available. To ensure this commitment to joint working and promoting best practice was on-going, regular calls were made to a range of health and social care services to offer support, share information and discuss future opportunities for joint working.

The provider ensured the management team worked closely together to look at how the service could develop and continue to improve. This included using feedback from discussions with people, relatives, staff and professionals to identify any gaps in provision in relation to individuals being supported, the service as a whole, and the wider community. This was demonstrated in the number of initiatives the provider had promoted such as the ‘Be There’ movement, the ‘But first a drink’ campaign, providing on-going support to people in hospital, the development of a more robust and supportive induction process for staff, initiating and running the support group for people living with dementia and being involved in a range of community events.

The service had a strong emphasis on ensuring staff were trained well and any additional learning requested was made available. This helped to ensure staff were skilled in their roles and remained motivated to provide care which was highly personalised and informed. In addition to in-house training, staff were also encouraged to complete nationally recognised training such as health and social care sponsored qualifications. One staff member had recently qualified as a ‘Dementia Coach.’ They told us this would initially support them in their role but also in sharing their learning with people, staff and their families.