Eleanor Nursing & Social Care Ltd - Greenwich Branch

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 requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care

We found the provider to be in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. Systems of governance were in place, but some aspects of governance to assess, monitor and improve the quality of service being provided were not effective.

This service scored 62 (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 culture based on transparency, equity, diversity and inclusion. A clear management structure was in place. Staff had clear roles and responsibilities and were informed of their roles and reporting arrangements. Staff spoke positively about the management of the service. A staff member told us, “We all have the same goals. [Registered manager] makes sure everyone has the same qualities.” Another staff member told us, “I feel like we are all here for the same thing, here for the clients and want the best for them.”

The provider and staff worked with transparency and collaboratively with relevant healthcare services to ensure delivery of care. A healthcare professional told us, “Together with the local authority and Eleanor Care we have built a transparent working relationship. I liaise with Eleanor Care regarding the wellbeing and progress of people. I discuss feedback on the care provided and attend all scheduled meetings so we are all equally updated on the people, staff and the service itself.”

The provider had inclusive leadership. The service operated in an open way and the registered manager was visible at all levels. A staff member told us, “Very approachable, my managers are lovely ladies, and the staff, coordinators are all very approachable, can talk to them, easy to get on with and open.”

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. Staff told us, “I’m really happy. They’re really encouraging, supportive, giving choices. If you need anything they do anything for us. They really support you. The office team and everything is really great” and “I have nothing negative about Eleanor Care. [Registered manager] is lovely, she’s wonderful.”

A healthcare professional told us, “[Team Leader] has developed and lead her team to a high professional standard. Each carer is inducted and trained. [Team Leader] ensures she personally introduces her staff to every client so they are familiar with who will be providing their care. Staff conduct themselves professionally and always represent the company in full uniform.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak-up and their voices would be heard. Systems were in place to facilitate this including whistleblowing policies and safe spaces to raise concerns such as supervisions, team meetings and care forums. Staff told us, “They don’t make us have any fear for anything. They give us the confidence. They tell us any issue we must always bring it to their attention” and “Yes, if I had an issue and report to management, they make me feel heard and try to sort out the situation as best as they could.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. The registered manager and staff worked together and policies and procedures were in place for workforce equality, diversity and inclusion to enable a more equitable and inclusive organisation. Staff told us, “Yes, lots of people from all walks of life doing this job” and “When you come to Eleanor care you know there’s diversity and inclusion. Everyone is from different walks of life, different regions, different races.”

The service is a Disability Confident Employer and the Registered manager told us there was a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and they were committed to supporting staff with disabilities or caring responsibilities by making reasonable adjustments to their working patterns where needed. A staff member told us, “They give me flexibility, if I have an appointment I would let them know and they would cover, they’re very supportive.”

Diversity was celebrated and promoted. The service held culture days to bring the team together to sample different foods from different cultures and wearing traditional dress. There was a dedicated area for staff of all faiths and beliefs to pray or observe personal spiritual practices. The registered manager told us by providing this area, they aimed to support individual wellbeing, honour diverse religious needs, and ensure everyone feels valued and accommodated during their working day.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and systems of governance in place to manage and deliver care and support. A number of audits had been conducted by the registered manager and senior managers which covered aspects of the service including care records, staff spot checks, call monitoring and medicines.

However, we found some aspects of governance to assess, monitor and improve the quality of service being provided were not effective in addressing some of the issues found during this assessment which included staff were not effectively deployed, staff were not always caring and were task focused and care records were not always person centred.

Service user surveys for 2025 and 2026 had identified continuity and conduct of carers and scheduling, were areas that needed improvement and an action plan was put in place. Monthly ECM audits had started to identify some instances of lateness and a lack of continuity with carers and actions were taken in response such as disciplinary and remainders to staff about timekeeping via newsletters and staff meetings.

However, despite these actions, we found improvement was still needed, therefore we could not be assured systems and processes were robust and operated effectively to monitor and improve the quality of service being provided to people.People and relatives told us, “The coordinating system needs to be looked at. They could improve by not often sending different carers”, “Getting a regular person, who know how you are, what your problems are and know how to respond” and “They should come at regular times every day. I know where I am then.”

We raised the issues found during this assessment with the registered manager, who acknowledged the need for improvement and told us they had been working hard to strengthening timekeeping compliance including spot checks and recruiting a full time auditor to ensure any themes were identified and concerns were escalated in a timely way. We will follow up the actions taken by the service to address the issues at the next assessment.

Notwithstanding the above we received positive feedback from some people. People told us, “Nothing can be improved. I have wonderful carers, I can’t wish for two better ones. They are marvellous, they listen, they talk to me” and “As far as I can tell they [Eleanor] are pretty good actually. One of the best in Greenwich.”

The provider understood their duty to collaborate, work in partnership and share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. The service worked in partnership with a number of organisations including local authorities that commissioned the service, other health and social care professionals and community based organisations. The registered manager told us, this approach supported their vision to improve outcomes for people beyond the service by positively contributing to the local community and their commitment to being a socially responsible service.

The service worked with a local charity and organised a Christmas shoebox appeal aimed at supporting disadvantaged children who may not receive a gift during the festive period. Staff actively participated and donated items which were packed into individual shoeboxes to ensure each child received a meaningful and enjoyable gift.

Working with the local authority, the service facilitated a client engagement session where people were encouraged to share their personal experiences and express their views on the support they received. A healthcare professional told us, “I found them [Eleanor] responsive, professional, and well organised. In the workshops which involved people who they provide support to together the team appeared to know the people personally, know their histories, interests, and communication preferences and treated them kindly.”

In October 2023, the registered manager and deputy manager were invited to attend the Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) Awards at the House of Lords which the Registered Manager told us, reflected external recognition of the branch’s leadership credibility and engagement with the local community.

The provider focused on learning and improvement. Processes were in place to ensure learning and good practice were identified. People, relatives and staff were encouraged for their views about the service and what could be improved through meetings, telephone monitoring, surveys and quality assurance checks.

The service worked with healthcare professionals that supported learning and good practice to deliver joined up care. The service was currently working in partnership with the local authority as part of a digital transformation pilot to explore how digital systems can better integrate with local healthcare pathways and improve information sharing between care providers, local authorities and healthcare teams.