Help at Home Care

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. 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 79 (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.

In their vision statement the provider said, “Our staff are carefully chosen because they share the same values and passion for providing kind, compassionate, and person-centred care.They share my vision.They are dedicated to making a positive difference every day in the lives of our customers.” We saw this demonstrated during our inspection. Feedback from people and their relatives was consistently positive, demonstrating strong relationships and continuity of care. All care staff spoken with expressed pride at working for Help at Home Care, sighting the quality of the care they were able to deliver. Staff felt respected and empowered, resulting in a low turnover of staff, high morale, and a genuine pride in their work.

The provider discussed difficulties in recruiting staff in the particularly rural environment they operated in. However, through establishing a good reputation in the community for both the provision of high-quality care and excellent staff support they had recruited a staff team which reflected and lived their vision.

The service had a culture which was positive, open and inclusive. The people who used the service were at the heart of everything they did. It was clear throughout the inspection that the provider and staff that worked at the service were passionate about delivering good quality care. They impressed upon us that each person using the service were treated as an individual. This was evident from the feedback people and relatives gave about the service which included, “The staff are reliable, professional and supportive,” and “The support has made a huge difference to [family member] and to us as a family.”

Staff understood their role, what was expected of them, were happy in their work, were motivated and had confidence in the way the service was managed. There were systems in place to make sure high standards of care were delivered.A member of care staff told us, “It is refreshing to work for such a caring and responsive organisation.”

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.

Leaders demonstrated a thorough understanding of the service and the people they supported. Decisions were informed, person‑centred and aligned with organisational values. This resulted in a highly positive culture where people experienced excellent quality of care, and staff felt empowered, trusted and motivated. Without exception care staff said the registered manager fostered a sense of belonging for people and staff. A member of care staff told us the registered manager had, “Made me fall back in love with care.”

Leadership within the service was outstandingly capable, compassionate and genuinely inclusive, driving consistently positive experiences and outcomes for both people and staff. The management team were described as approachable and responsive, concerns were addressed appropriately, and care staff were viewed as reliable, observant and compassionate in the support they provided. People, their relatives, and care staff consistently gave excellent feedback about the registered manager and the care staff teams approachability, responsiveness and commitment to high‑quality care. A person said, “I would highly recommend the service. We’re very happy with the overall quality of care and support.” Another person said, “The management and carers are helpful and approachable.”

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The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Leaders actively encouraged openness, honesty and constructive challenge, ensuring every voice was heard and taken seriously. Care staff told us they could raise concerns or ideas without fear of negative consequences, and feedback was always welcomed.

One person described raising concerns regarding the attitude and behaviour of a newly employed care staff member who they felt had behaved inappropriately asking intrusive questions. The person reported feeling listened to immediately by the registered manager and the care staff member was not sent back following the concern. The person further described feeling comfortable discussing the matter with the registered manager and reassured their views and boundaries within their own home had been respected.

A member of care staff said, “The management team is extremely supportive and responsive. I feel valued within the team, and to date I have never had any issues. I am confident that if I ever did, [registered manager] would handle it with the utmost respect and confidentiality.” This created an environment of trust, continually improved care and a positive employee experience.

The registered manager promoted a highly transparent culture where issues were addressed promptly and fairly. Whistleblowing processes were well understood and accessible, which reinforced trust, safety and accountability across the service.

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 ensured there were a wide range of up-to-date policies and procedures including recruitment and staff development and training opportunities which ensured the workforce, including leaders were representative of the population of people using the service.

There was a consensus among all staff of an equitable workplace. Staff were highly motivated.

Staff told us how leaders made reasonable adjustments to ensure they were supported. For example, a staff member with a physical condition, was supported by ensuring their visits were less demanding physically.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider demonstrated highly effective, well-integrated governance and quality assurance systems, combining digital monitoring, real-time tracking and visible leadership through regular oversight. These enabled proactive monitoring of care plans, visit compliance and service delivery, with alert systems ensuring prompt action.

A robust programme of scheduled and responsive audits, alongside observations, spot checks and supervision, promoted best practice and continuous improvement. The registered manager described a responsive approach, with concerns triggering timely audits and targeted staff coaching to drive sustained improvement and positive outcomes.

Performance management processes were effective as staff consistently performed their roles in line with best practice. This was evidenced by positive feedback provided by people, no complaints being received, support being delivered on time and for the duration planned and people achieving positive outcomes such as making improvements physically and psychologically as demonstrated in the Caring section of this report.

Leaders actively anticipated current and future performance and risks to the quality of the service. The provider who was also the registered manager had recognised that as the service grew, they needed more support to maintain the quality of the service. They explained how they were developing a member of staff to become the deputy manager. The provider was also attending external courses to develop their management skills.

The provider had a well-structured business continuity plan ensuring that clear procedures were in place to maintain service continuity during unexpected disruptions such as IT failures and severe adverse weather conditions. This included prioritising people’s care provision during emergency situations to ensure people most at risk received care and support.

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.

Relatives told us they were updated about any changes to their loved one’s health needs and any incidents which occurred. A relative said, “They work with me to make sure [relative] is supported properly.”

We received positive feedback from partners about how the service operated and how staff treated people in a caring and understanding manner.

We also received an example of the service working to prevent a person becoming isolated. The mobility of a person receiving support declined and they were unable to attend meetings of a local community organisation. The service arranged for members of the club to visit the person monthly in their home. This meant they still felt part of their local community.

The provider team and staff were aware of how they could contribute to making improvements, particularly by enabling people and their relatives to be involved by giving feedback. Staff were encouraged to put forward improvement ideas and those we spoke with said they trusted the management team to listen and act. Care staff told us how attending a person’s 3 monthly care review meetings with people meant that the review was meaningful covering all areas of support.

There were systems and processes in place to promote, and support learning, improvement, and innovation. The registered manager told us they were attending external development opportunities and plans they had to further develop face to face training. People, their relatives and staff provided regular feedback to identify if people were receiving the care and support, they needed.