Dependable Care for You 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 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.

The provider had evolved vision and values for the service. These were centred around providing people with truly person-centred care and continually involving others who were important to them during their care journey. One family member said, “The support they provide has allowed me to continue to be a relation rather than a carer.”

Managers led by example and supported staff offering their experience and knowledge to guide them in their role. People were provided with a service user guide that supported them to fully understand how their expectations could and would be met.

People told us the provider was open and transparent. One told us, “They [managers] are amazing. They have gone above and beyond. They will hold their hands up if things go wrong as they should do.”

The registered manager told us their vision was to grow the service slowly without losing the quality and personalised service they currently provide.

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 management team were passionate and proud of the service they provided. They were driven to provide a high-quality service and were ambitious to grow the service without impacting on the quality care people received.

Managers were skilled and experienced. Their ethos and approach was instilled into the staff team where a good culture had been forged throughout. They were in regular contact with people and relatives in person and by phone and were open and honest when things went wrong.

Managers and staff worked in partnership with each other. Staff said they were supported well by the management team. They felt they could turn to them for support at any time and they always made themselves available. One said, “Managers are supportive, we can share our concerns, and they are responsive to them.”

There was a drive and passion within the staff team, and it was evident from conversations with staff, there was positive working relations with people and families.

People, relatives and staff were encouraged to complete satisfaction surveys and feedback about service delivery. A family member said, “I complete a survey 4 times a year. They listen to the feedback and make a plan with you on things.” People and their relatives felt well informed and there was good communication with their care team and the office staff. A relative said, “I’ve just filled in a questionnaire. I regularly get a call and I’m asked; how is it going, are you happy with everything.”

All the people we spoke with had complete confidence in the management team continually commenting on their professionalism. A family member said, “They are brilliant and work with you. They take on board what you say and concentrate on safety and are always available if you need them.

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

Staff said they were well supported and encouraged to share any concerns and make suggestions during staff meetings, handovers, and during supervisions and appraisals. They confirmed the registered manager had an open-door policy and made themselves available 24 hours a day if they needed to contact them. One staff member told us, “I can speak up and have no fear of doing so. I trust them.”

Staff confirmed they understood whistleblowing and had access to the providers policy. They said whilst they had not had cause to use it, they would if they needed to.

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 had fostered an inclusive work force. Policies protected staff’s human rights and working conditions.

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.

There was a system of audits and quality assurance covering all aspects of the service. This ensured the service was continually monitored to ensure sustainability could be maintained.

There were robust communication arrangements in place for sharing and recording information between managers and staff. Information was clear and concise. This supported the overall good governance at the service.

All notifiable incidents that had occurred in the service had been sent to CQC and local authorities appropriately and timely.

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 service worked well external professional agencies and within the local community ensuring people had access to other services when they needed them and records we reviewed confirmed this.

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 were provided with ongoing refresher training which contributed to the ongoing delivery of safe quality of care. Staff told us they were integrated slowly into their roles. They were afforded enough time to complete training and were shadowed by experienced staff until they were assessed as competent to undertake their role independently.

The culture of the service was positive and open. All the comments we received from people, relatives and staff indicated there was freedom to share their views any time, safe in the knowledge they would be listened to and respected for doing so.