Essential Homecare Ltd

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 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 93 (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.

Leaders showed a clear commitment to high‑quality supervision, reflective practice and staff wellbeing. Records evidenced positive staff engagement and a relationship‑based approach that helped staff feel supported, valued and confident raising concerns. There was also evidence of governance awareness through performance monitoring, training oversight, safeguarding discussions and competency checks. While audits highlighted areas for improvement such as strengthening governance consistency and inspection readiness, the overall culture reflected a unified leadership team focused on staff development, open communication and delivering high‑quality, person‑centred care.

Staff told us the support from leaders was excellent and they praised leaders for giving them the time and support to excel in their job role. One staff member told us, “[Nominated individual] is very supportive and helps me to learn and [registered manager] has helped me to learn about care planning and risk assessing.”

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 at Essential Homecare demonstrated they were capable, compassionate and inclusive,and promoted a positive culture of support and strong staff engagement and a clear commitment to staff wellbeing, with thematic supervisions providing detailed reflection on strengths, training needs and areas for improvement

Leadership behaviours were consistently aligned with the organisation’s Essential Behaviours, with leaders modelling positivity, accountability and emotional intelligence in their daily practice. Staff described leaders as approachable, fair and deeply committed to their wellbeing, reflecting a psychologically safe environment where concerns could be raised openly and without fear.

Leaders promoted inclusion by valuing alternative views, welcoming new staff, and ensuring everyone had equitable access to training, supervision and development opportunities. They demonstrated compassion through personalised support such as wellbeing interventions and reasonable adjustments and capability through strong governance, clear communication and decisive action when risks were identified. Leaders encouraged innovation, reflective practice and shared learning, embodying their principle of “Be open to do things differently,’ and challenging poor practice when necessary.

While the leadership culture was consistently strong, audits also identified several governance improvements needed to strengthen oversight and inspection readiness. These included more consistent action planning, improved documentation standards, accurate dating and sign‑off, clearer follow‑up of performance or competency concerns, and greater consistency across the management team. Priorities for development included standardising supervision templates, improving professional recording, enhancing audit processes, ensuring record accuracy, strengthening competency monitoring and embedding an inspection‑ready approach.

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

Staff described a culture where they felt safe, respected and confident to raise concerns without fear of blame; they told us managers were approachable, listened carefully and acted quickly when issues were reported. Supervision audits showed staff consistently felt supported, valued and comfortable discussing concerns and well-being matters,and safeguarding reviews demonstrated concerns were escalated promptly and proportionately. People and relatives also confirmed they could speak up at any time, either directly to care workers or the office, and felt reassured issues would be resolved.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Leadership demonstrated an exceptional commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion,creating a culture where staff felt respected, valued and empowered to thrive. Senior leaders modelled inclusive behaviours, ensuring every member of the workforce, regardless of background, identity or personal circumstances had equitable access to training, supervision, well-being support and opportunities for progression. The organisation’s approach had embedded personalised adjustments such as tailored well-being interventions and individual support plans for staff with additional needs, ensuring everyone could work safely and confidently. Staff consistently reported feeling listened to, treated fairly and able to raise concerns without fear, reflecting a psychologically safe environment where diversity was celebrated and inclusion was lived in practice. Leaders used feedback, reflective learning and open communication to strengthen team cohesion and ensure policies were not only present but actively implemented.

Staff described a positive and inclusive culture where they felt respected, supported and treated fairly. Recruitment processes considered people’s individual needs, including language and communication requirements, ensuring care workers could support people in culturally appropriate ways. Training in equality, diversity and human rights was in place, and staff demonstrated awareness of how discrimination may affect people using the service. People and relatives told us care workers were respectful, kind and sensitive to personal preferences, and the service upheld dignity and individuality in day‑to‑day care.

A staff member told us, “I feel valued as a member of staff and work in a friendly supportive environment. The best thing about working for this company is the people we care for. I love to feel like we have made a difference to their day and make them smile whilst helping them to carry out their day-to-day life as best as possible.”

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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider demonstrated exceptional governance, with clear systems, strong oversight and a proactive approach to safety, risk management and continuous improvement. Leaders used structured processes, regular audits and evidence‑based learning to ensure care remained safe, effective and person‑centred.

A review of safeguarding and incident data showed robust monitoring of falls trends. The Falls Risk Reportidentified people experiencing repeat falls and clearly set out required actions, including reviewing risk assessments, updating care plans, checking environmental risks and considering referrals to external professionals. This demonstrated strong analytical governance and early intervention to prevent avoidable harm.

Health and safety were reinforced through regular workforce briefings. The Health and Safety Toolbox Talkemphasised personal safety, infection control, lone working, equipment checks and well-being, reminding staff that, “Health and safety isn’t just ticking a box, it’s what keeps staff and our people using services, safe.”

Governance also extended to documentation quality. The providers’, Care Notes Improvement Toolbox Talkshowed leaders had audited care notes and identified areas for improvement, including clearer recording of concerns, avoiding contradictory wording, improving readability and ensuring meaningful outcomes. Staff were reminded, care notes were legal documents which evidenced care delivered and protected people, staff and the organisation.

Leaders ensured learning was embedded through supervision, spot checks, monthly meetings and ongoing audit cycles. Staff were supported to improve practice, and positive examples were shared to reinforce high standards. Governance processes were used actively to drive improvement, strengthen safety and ensure compliance with CQC expectations.

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 effectively with a wide range of partners to ensure people received coordinated, person‑centred care. Professional feedback described Essential Homecare as ethical, responsive and committed to positive outcomes,with leaders regularly attending reviews to ensure support plans remained accurate and reflective of people’s needs.

The provider maintained strong relationships with social workers, district nurses, GPs and training providers, enabling timely escalation of concerns, joint problem‑solving and shared learning. Staff received external training from partners such as Wigan Council, and leaders collaborated closely with training organisations to identify skills gaps and support staff progression through the Care Certificate and apprenticeship pathways.

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.

The provider demonstrated an exceptional commitment to learning, improvement and innovation,with a highly structured supervision framework that ensured staff development was continuous, evidence‑based and aligned with organisational values. Supervision was used to proactively review performance, identify training needs, support well-being and recognise achievements, reflecting the stated purpose to, ‘Maintain high standards of care and professionalism,'and ensure improvement was ongoing.

Leaders used a clear scoring system and mandatory action‑planning process, where any score of 1 or 2 required managers to record what improvement was needed, what support would be provided and when progress would be reviewed. This ensured concerns were never overlooked and staff received targeted, supportive development. The framework promoted reflective learning through review of previous actions, training matrices, competencies, observations and feedback from people, ensuring supervision was meaningful and focused on growth. Staff engagement with learning was monitored through sessionsassessing openness, receptiveness to feedback and application of training in practice.

Leaders actively reviewed audits, listened to staff feedback and responded quickly when issues were identified. Governance reviews highlighted strong foundations in safeguarding, care delivery and operational monitoring, and the provider used this information to drive targeted improvements such as strengthening documentation standards. Staff described leaders as supportive and approachable, confirming they could raise issues at any time and managers acted promptly to resolve them. Professional partners also praised the service’s openness, ethical practice and willingness to “…go above and beyond,” to achieve positive outcomes.