RCS Domiciliary Agency 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 inspection for this service. This key question has been good. This meant the service management and leadership were consistent. Leaders and the culture they created supported the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 71 (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. Equality and diversity within the service was promoted. New staff received support and training which helped them to show those values in their daily work with people. A staff member commented, “I enjoy working the agency, I am really well supported.”

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 demonstrated they had the skills and knowledge to manage the service effectively. Staff members’ comments included, “Management are very supportive and approachable” and “The manager is very understanding and responsive.” Relatives’ comments included, “I consider that the company does everything well”, “The agency seems to be very well-run and organised” and “I know the manager and consider the company to be managed and led brilliantly.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Processes were in place for staff and people to speak up. The provider had a clear whistle blowing policy. Staff could raise concerns and the information about how to do this was available in the staff handbook. Staff meetings took place. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. They were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. Staff members said they felt “listened to.” A staff member commented, “We have regular staff meetings."

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff had received equality and diversity training. Staff told us they were treated equally and did not experience any discrimination. They told us they felt valued and respected in their roles. They said they felt supported by the management, some said they were well-supported personally when needed. A staff member commented, “I feel respected and listened to.”

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 act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. There was oversight from the provider to review the quality and safety of the service in line with regulatory requirements, with quality checks carried out. However, improvements were needed to care records to ensure they reflected the care provided by staff.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. When accidents and incidents occurred, staff took appropriate action including seeking medical attention. The registered manager had a process in place to review incidents which occurred to identify any trends, patterns and lessons learned. These were shared with staff to reduce risks to people.

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. Staff and leaders had a good understanding of how to make improvement happen. Leaders encouraged staff to speak up with ideas for improvement. Processes to ensure that learning happens when things go wrong, and from examples of good practice were well-established. There was evidence of changes that had been made to the service to make improvements and to address checks and audits outcomes and in response to people and staff feedback.