Basingstoke

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 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, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service, describing a commitment to delivering person-centred care within the local community. The registered manager said the service’s core aim was to promote people’s independence and support them to stay in their own homes as long as they wished. They carefully planned when and where to accept new care packages, focusing on areas where staff had local knowledge and where existing care rounds were was in place. The registered manager understood the service’s capacity and recognised when it was safe and appropriate to expand.

Staff described the registered manager and senior staff as supportive, responsive and professional. Senior staff regularly worked alongside care staff to provide support or cover absences, which helped them understand challenges and promote a positive team culture.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The provider had clear leadership structures, with defined roles and responsibilities across the management team. Senior staff understood their roles and responsibilities. For example, supervisory staff held responsibility for staff supervision and engagement with people using the service. The registered manager had developed structured working practices, which helped them to maintain effective oversight when delegating key duties to senior staff. The provider planned to expand the senior staff team as the service grew to ensure workloads remained manageable and quality was maintained.

The registered manager was suitably qualified and experienced and demonstrated a good understanding of their regulatory responsibilities. They submitted statutory notifications to the Care Quality Commission as required. The registered manager took their role seriously and was committed to ongoing professional development, attending training and engaging in learning to remain informed about best practice.

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

Staff said they felt confident raising concerns with senior staff and trusted that these would be taken seriously and addressed. The provider had whistleblowing policies and procedures in place, which clearly set out how staff could raise concerns and to whom they should report 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.

The provider had policies and procedures in place to promote workforce equality and diversity. Staff told us they were treated fairly at work and that they were happy with the support they received in their role. The provider had facilitated training and awareness programmes for staff in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion. This helped to promote a respect and supportive team environment.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality care and support.

The provider had effective governance systems to oversee the quality and safety of the service. This included live monitoring of care delivery, with prompt and responsive action taken when issues were identified. Senior staff completed a range of audits and reviews, including of care plans, care records and medicines administration. These checks helped ensure care was delivered as planned and in line with people’s assessed needs.

The registered manager had effective systems to monitor and review the quality and safety of the service. They used electronic systems to record and analyse key information about how care was delivered. Each area was reviewed in line with a structured audit schedule, which supported consistent, regular oversight.

The branch received additional oversight and support from the provider’s head office. This included senior management input, human resources and recruitment support, information technology and compliance support. The provider held regular meetings for branch managers to share learning, good practice and operational updates, which helped promote improvement across the organisation.

The provider had effective systems to promote good information governance. Systems were in place to ensure records were stored securely and accessed only by authorised individuals. Access arrangements to electronic systems and confidential information were regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with data protection requirements and to safeguard people’s personal information.

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.

Staff worked in partnership with other professionals when needed to help make sure people received personalised care and support. The registered manager was part of professional networks, with benefits including sharing best practice, keeping abreast of regulatory updates and supporting workforce development.

The provider focused on continuous learning and improvement across the organisation.

The registered manager promoted a positive culture of learning and reflective practice. They were open to feedback from people, staff and partner organisations, which helped identify and implement improvements effectively. The registered manager actively sought opportunities to improve systems and processes to strengthen the quality of care and governance. For example, they were working with software developers to improve the electronic call monitoring system to strengthen their systems for monitoring and overseeing care delivery.