Black Horse Care Limited

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 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 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.

The registered manager told us they made themselves accessible to people and staff, saying, “I have an open-door policy with the staff.” People and staff confirmed this was the case. Regular staff meetings were held so staff could share information and knowledge. The provider supported staff’s equality and diversity, for example, through shifts allowing staff time off for religious festivals and there was an equality and diversity policy in place to guide practice in this area.

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 service had a registered manager in place. They were supported in the day to day running of the service by an administrator. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and the support they received. A member of staff said, “It’s a very good company, I am happy working with them.” They added, “[Registered manager] is a good manager, they are very supportive.”

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

There were systems in place to enable people and staff to speak up. For example, the provider carried out staff and service user surveys where people could provide feedback on the care they received. Staff meetings were held which provided staff the opportunity to speak up about relevant issues. A person told us, “[Registered manager] is very professional. They always say to me they want feedback from me.”

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 registered manager told us they promoted workforce equality, diversity and inclusion. They told us the workforce was representative of the local area and of the people who used the service. Staff recruitment was carried out in line with good practice in relation to the Equalities Act 2010. Policies were in place to guide practice in this area, including an equality and diversity policy.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance.

The registered manager carried out unannounced spot checks on staff as they caried out their duties. These looked at things such as punctuality, the use of personal protective equipment and how the staff member communicates with the person. Various audits were carried out, including for infection prevention and control practices and care plans. The registered manager told us they did phone monitoring with people, ‘at least once a month.’ People confirmed this. However, they did not keep a record of this, and we recommend they do so there is a clear record of feedback received.

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 worked with other organisations to share knowledge and develop best practice. For example, the registered manager told us they attended provider forums run by the local authority. At the last meeting the forum included discussions about staffing issues and relevant legislation. They also said they were affiliated to Skills for Care who provided them with training support.

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. The registered manager told us one of their priorities going forward was to provide more training for staff. To move beyond statutory training in core subjects to completing relevant care qualifications. The registered manager had supervision sessions with an outside consultant to help develop their practice and identify areas for improvement within the service.