Heart Of Hope Care Ltd - Cumberland

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 newly registered 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 68 (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 and culture.

This was based on a ‘person first’ approach where the needs of the people receiving care and support were central. The registered manager told us her aim was to ensure the service was “safe and kind.”

There was an openness and transparency which embraced diversity and inclusion, welcomed engagement, and recognised the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Managers were positive, supportive and responsive to the needs of people and their staff. Managers recognised the importance of collaborative working to support best outcomes for people, and a healthcare professional told us, “The registered manager has always been highly responsive, very thorough and immediate in her communications.”

Staff were positive about working in the service and had a good understanding of equality, diversity, respecting people’s rights and ensuring people’s needs came first always.

One person told us “We have a passion for helping vulnerable people. We want to make them feel safe and well cared for” and another commented, “The fact that I have made a difference in someone’s life gives me a positive rewarding feeling that drives me to wanting to do more.”

The provider had leaders who were capable, kind, compassionate and inclusive. There was a proactive, supportive, and non-blame approach to dealing with issues of concern.

Staff understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively and they did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

One healthcare professional reported, “Heart of Hope has consistently provided an excellent level and quality of care support to several of my customers over the last 2 years or so.”

The registered manager and care coordinator maintained a visible and supportive presence to their team who worked remotely, with visits, regular telephone contact and wellbeing check-ins.

Staff were positive about support from managers throughout the recruitment and on-boarding process, learning and development opportunities and through constructive supervision and appraisal processes. One staff member reported “Supervisions give me the opportunity to discuss my development and any concerns.”

Staff described the registered manager as “brilliant” and “very hands on, always about whenever you want. She is there for you.”

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

Staff stated they would have no hesitation in raising concerns about any aspect of the service, their role or the care of people if they were unhappy about something.

The registered manager facilitated regular staff meetings so staff could speak up about any matters of importance to them. One staff member told us, “We have a lot of staff meetings and, oh yes, staff are able to speak up and we do so loudly. We can say whatever we want and raise issues with them.”

Staff consistently reported how the registered manager and care coordinator were approachable, respectful and willing to listen. Staff told us, “You can always ask [the registered manager], you are able to talk to her.”

There was whistleblowing and speaking up guidance made available to staff during their induction and as part of the staff handbook.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce.

There was an inclusive and fair culture which recognised equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Leaders invited staff to contribute to all aspects of the service and to improve workforce equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff were supported to complete training in key areas to reinforce good workforce standards.

Staff told us they felt valued and were treated well. Staff could work flexibly and leaders made reasonable adjustments for staff with particular needs which included shift flexibility, limiting travelling, and ensured there was a process of checking-in to make sure such changes were helpful.

Staff had access to a ‘staff app’ for ease and to facilitate remote discussions to ensure everyone’s voice and opinion could be heard beyond formal meetings.

All staff were aware of their role, responsibilities and systems of accountability, ; however governance processes were not always well established.

The provider did not always effectively monitor and act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes. There was no formal audit programme in place however the registered manager did undertake care plan and medication reviews periodically on their electronic platform.

The registered manager and care coordinator completed spot-checks with staff to monitor standards and outcomes for people and there were regular staff meetings, however these findings did not feed into a wider quality assurance framework or contribute to a central service development or action plan.

The provider had plans in place to ensure business continuity in the event of an untoward event and the registered manager had an awareness of ‘Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture’ should they offer any care and support to a person with a learning disability or autism.

All information held by the provider was done so securely and in accordance with data protection legislation.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership with health and social care colleagues.

There were well established and effective referral and escalation procedures to support continuity and a joined-up approach with services.

Staff worked with healthcare professionals and services to ensure care was coordinated, safe and person-centred. Staff shared information appropriately which assisted partners and minimised unnecessary repetition for people who may move between services.

Leaders were receptive to feedback from partners to improve their service and better outcomes for people.

The provider was committed to learning and improvement across the organisation and had some systems in place to monitor, record and identify areas for learning and improvement.

The provider had some processes to check standards and compliance, however without an embedded quality assurance framework, these did not always identify actions for learning in a timely manner.

The service had some good links with external healthcare specialists and these professional relationships could be developed further to share best practice and innovations to improve experience, outcomes and quality of life for people.