Annies Homecare Services 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.

At our last inspection we rated this key question inadequate. At this inspection the rating has improved to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

At our last assessment the provider was in breach of the legal regulation of good governance. At this assessment, the service had made enough improvements which meant they were no longer in breach of legal regulation in relation to governance of the service.

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 vision and values of the service were clear and promoted people’s rights, choices and independence. The registered manager and staff actively sought and acted on the views of people and their relatives through their visits, reviews and telephone calls.

A staff member told us how the changes in the management team and structure had impacted on staff and people using the service. Staff said it had been a breath of fresh air for the service and commented, “[Registered manager] is a great boss as well as always being there for staff and clients. [Registered manager] has a great team working for them and has great teamwork.”

Management and staff had the experience, capacity, capability and integrity to ensure the organisational vision could be delivered and risks were well managed.

High-quality leadership was sustained through safe, effective and inclusive recruitment. Since the previous inspection the management and staff had worked hard to change the culture within the service to good effect.

A relative told us, “Overall [my relative] and I are very satisfied with Annies Homecare and would have no hesitation in recommending them to others.”

Staff and management acted with openness, honesty and transparency.

The management team encouraged and supported staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. All staff we had feedback from were confident their voices were heard. For example, a staff member told us, “I feel fully supported by [management team] and they are very approachable. I can say whatever I feel I need to whether it is positive or not.”

Since the previous inspection the management team had made some changes in the way concerns were managed. Previously staff raising issues felt they had not been listened to because they did not receive any feedback once the concerns had been investigated. The management team advised they had learned a lesson and now shared feedback where they were able. A suggestion box had been installed for staff to be able to post suggestions anonymously.

Management continually reviewed and improved the culture of the service in the context of equality, diversity and inclusion to achieve a fair culture for all. Leaders made reasonable adjustments to support staff to carry out their roles well.

Staff felt empowered and were confident their concerns and ideas resulted in positive change to shape the service for all.

At our previous inspection in October 2023 the provider had not ensured effective systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

At this inspection we found the provider and senior management team had a robust oversight of risks to people’s safety and wellbeing. A digital care planning tool was being used. The senior management could access the system and see in real time what was taking place, where the support workers were and make sure people were receiving their care and support in a timely manner.

People’s care plans and risk assessments were up to date and kept under regular review. People, or their relatives where appropriate, could have access to their digital records. A relative told us, “Following your previous review Annie’s have implemented a system that logs the support workers notes per visit and I can use a smartphone application to view these. I find this very reassuring as I live some distance from [relative] and if there is anything that gives me concerns, I can raise it quickly.”

The provider had improved their systems to support staff. For example, a re-structure of the management and staff team had resulted in a clear line of supervision and reporting. A staff member told us, “Having worked for Annie's for the past 12 years, I have noticed many improvements, especially the past 6 months or so. All training is completed to ensure my role is carried out to a high standard and spot checks are carried out by supervisors/management.”

The provider now understood their regulatory responsibility to notify CQC when safeguarding concerns were being raised and to provide evidence of their actions and oversight of these safeguarding concerns to CQC.

The provider had processes in place to record accidents, incidents, and complaints. An analysis of these was undertaken and continuously reviewed to help identify and understand any trends or themes to drive improvement.

Staff and management were open and transparent, and worked in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, service development and joined-up care. The registered manager gave examples of interaction ranging from day centres, occupational therapists, local authority representatives and district nurses, to food banks and chiropodist. A local authority representative told us, “I have seen them being proactive, approachable, and receptive of any feedback. The agency also reaches out to us if they have any queries which is positive.”

Since the previous inspection there had been significant learning and improvement instigated by the management team and cascaded through the staff team. Management had a good understanding of how to make improvement happen. They told us the most rewarding outcome had been the change in the culture within the team. They said this had a positive impact on relationships within the team and people benefited from a better organised and more content staff team.

People and relatives were involved in developing and improving the service. Quality surveys were distributed for people to respond with their opinions however, not many people chose to respond to these. Some people had used the service for a long time and had become fed up with requests for feedback from the service and external bodies. We also found the response level to our enquiries was low. The registered manager visited people regularly, either as part of their care regime, a spot check or just to quickly visit and have a chat to see how things were going. This was how they ensured people were content with the service they received.

There were processes to ensure learning happens when things went wrong, and from examples of good practice. Management encouraged staff to speak up with ideas for improvement and innovation and actively invested time to listen and engage at team meetings. There was a growing sense of trust between management and staff.