Afon Healthcare 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 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 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. Although the registered manager was the only staff member employed, the provider had a staff handbook, available for staff. This contained information about the values of the service and code of conduct. The provider planned to be transparent and engage with staff at meetings to discuss any challenges they faced.

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 had a good understanding of their role. The service had faced some difficulties with commissioning with local authorities. Plans were in place to steadily grow the service and recruit staff. We received positive feedback regarding the leadership of the service. A relative told us, “I feel the service is well led and well managed. The care my relative receives has given us peace of mind and mother is also happy that we have some help with her care”.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The registered manager planned to encourage staff to raise concerns. They promoted strong values of listening to people and relatives. The staff handbook contained information about how staff could raise concerns, should they need to. Although no concerns had been raised, the registered manager told us if something went wrong, people would have a timely apology, with actions taken to prevent the same happening again

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. At the time of the assessment the registered manager was the only staff member employed. The provider planned to recruit a diverse workforce and offer them support and flexibility to undertake their role.

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. The provider had governance systems in place and regularly audited records of people’s care. This included people’s care plans, risk assessments, health and safety and training records. As they were the sole staff member not all systems had been fully tested, although these were in place.

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 had good links with other providers and kept up to date with legislation by attending conferences and training courses. They were able to support people when needed, by liaising with the person’s GP and relatives to discuss people’s wellbeing ensuring positive outcomes for 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. The provider looked to continuously improve the service, to ensure people received safe and effective care. They had got to know the person they supported well and were able to tell us how they delivered positive outcomes. A relative told us, “The staff at Afon Healthcare Ltd are knowledgeable and well trained in what they do.”