PentaCare (West Suffolk)

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 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 consistently described leaders as approachable and supportive and were confident their concerns would be listened to and acted upon. The registered manager promoted equity, equality and human rights through an inclusive and respectful workplace. A staff member commented, “The culture is supportive and open. Staff are encouraged to share ideas and feedback. As a team, we communicate well, support each other, and focus on providing good care to the people we support. I would recommend working for PentaCare. It can be demanding work, but it is rewarding, and the team environment is supportive.”

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.

The registered manager was highly visible and approachable to people, relatives and staff. They were passionate, led with integrity and were highly respected by staff who felt listened to and valued. The registered manager promoted a positive culture which focused on treating people they supported with respect, compassion and empathy. A relative shared, “I feel the service strives to improve and they are open to suggestions. I feel that management is very good.”

The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities and took accountability. They were described as having the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to manage effectively, providing consistent direction to staff in their roles. A staff member told us, “The leadership is supportive and approachable. They try to help when staff raise concerns and provide guidance when needed.” Another commented, “In my experience, the leadership at Pentacare is understanding, helpful and approachable. I feel comfortable raising concerns and confident that they would be taken seriously and addressed appropriately. Staff morale is good, and there is a positive and supportive culture within the team.”
 

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

Systems were in place to ensure staff felt able to speak up. A whistleblowing policy was in place and staff felt able to share concerns without fear of detriment. Staff were confident the registered manager would address any concerns they raised. A member of staff shared, “I feel comfortable raising concerns with management, they usually take issues seriously and try to resolve 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.

Leaders worked to improve equality and equity for staff by fostering a respectful working environment where differences were recognised and valued. Staff had undertaken equality and diversity training to support them in delivering inclusive, respectful care that recognised and valued people’s individual differences.

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.

An electronic monitoring system supported quality assurance and enabled managers to respond promptly. For example, they could check that staff arrived at care visits on time and stayed for the agreed duration. Managers also completed spot checks in people’s homes to confirm care tasks were carried out in line with care plans and that people were satisfied with the support provided.

Staff felt supported and the registered manager ensured they received frequent training and supervision to ensure they continued to deliver good quality care and were supported in their professional development.

Systems were in place to ensure regular checks and audits were undertaken to ensure the quality of the care provided. Where audits identified learning, actions were addressed and learning was shared to improve outcomes for people.

The provider and registered manager were aware of their responsibilities regarding the duty of candour and made statutory notifications to relevant bodies which is their legal responsibility to do so.

The provider understood and carried out 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 management team had established good partnership working with various organisations and external stakeholders to provide positive outcomes for people.

The registered manager knew who to contact if people required additional support from other healthcare professionals such as GPs, district nurses and hospice staff.

The management team welcomed members of the community to their office to give advice and signpost them to health and social care support they may need.

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

Leaders encouraged reflective practice and used learning from incidents, audits, complaints, feedback and partner engagement to drive service improvement and strengthen quality oversight.