First Option Support 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.

The provider's statement of purpose and core values emphasised respect, integrity, compassion, safety and excellence. The registered manager told us these values underpinned how care was planned and delivered and were reflected in daily interactions with people using the service.

The provider was committed to treating people with dignity and respect, recognising their individual needs and supporting them to achieve the highest possible quality of life. Care plans demonstrated that people's views, preferences, protected characteristics and support needs were considered when planning care.

The provider's values were reflected in the positive feedback people gave about the service. People described staff as good and terrific and they told us they felt listened to, involved and treated as individuals. This demonstrated a culture that was based on compassion, inclusion, respect for human rights and understanding what mattered most to people.

The provider told us they used induction and training to communicate and share their values with new staff.

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 was also the nominated individual and responsible individual and the time of our visit delivered the care visits to people, which enabled them to maintain oversight of all aspects of the service and develop a detailed understanding of people's needs, risks and outcomes. This enabled them to build direct relationship with people and their relatives.

They had developed systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service and maintained regular contact with people using the service to seek feedback and review their care. People spoke positively about the leadership of the service. They described the registered manager as responsive to concerns and committed to providing high-quality care.

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

Systems were in place to support staff to raise concerns, including a whistleblowing and speaking up policy. The registered manager told us staff were encouraged to discuss any concerns about care, safety or practice and would be supported to do so without fear of repercussions.

Regular communication and wellbeing discussions provided opportunities for staff to share feedback, raise issues and contribute to the development of the service. The registered manager demonstrated an open approach and told us they welcomed feedback and challenge from staff as part of maintaining safe, high-quality care.

This helped to create a culture of openness, transparency and continuous improvement, where staff felt their views were valued and concerns would be listened to and acted upon appropriately.

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 were committed to recruiting from a range of backgrounds and recognised the benefits a diverse workforce brought to the service. Staff from different cultural backgrounds were encouraged to apply. They told us a diverse workforce bring their experiences and insights, which helped strengthen inclusive care and communication with people using the service.

The registered manager told us equality, dignity and respect were important values within the organisation and these were reflected in the way staff were supported and developed. This helped create a positive working environment where staff felt valued and enabled them to provide inclusive, person-centred care to people using the service.

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 registered manager maintained oversight of the service through regular reviews, spot checks, care plan audits and ongoing monitoring of people's care and wellbeing. Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff practice and support the management of the service, including safeguarding, complaints, whistleblowing, medicines management and incident reporting.

The provider actively sought feedback from people using the service to monitor the quality of care and identify opportunities for improvement. People told us the registered manager regularly checked on them and asked whether they were happy with the support they received. A person said staff "Check up on me and ask for feedback also giving me opportunity to raise any concerns." Another person told us they felt their views were listened to and acted upon when needed.

People's feedback reflected positive experiences of the service and confidence in its leadership. A person described the registered manager as “being nothing less than perfect." Another person said, "I have never had any issues." This demonstrated governance systems were effective in supporting the delivery of safe, consistent and person-centred care.

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 registered manager told us they worked with a range of external professionals, including social workers, nurses and voluntary sector organisations such as Age Concern, to support people's health, wellbeing and independence.

Care records demonstrated that relevant information was shared appropriately with healthcare professionals when people's needs changed or additional support was required. Where concerns were identified, people were encouraged to access the appropriate healthcare services and support networks. The provider also worked with local authorities and health professionals when assessing needs, reviewing care and planning future 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. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

A range of systems and resources were used to support learning and keep practice up to date, including online learning platforms, training resources and sector updates. The registered manager attended provider forums to share learning, discuss challenges and keep informed about developments within adult social care. They also subscribed to Skills for Care to access guidance, best practice resources and sector information to support ongoing service improvement.

The provider had a clear strategy and business plan in place to support the future growth and development of the service. The registered manager explained they had recruited a pool of staff to ensure capacity was available when demand increased. They told us their approach was to grow the business gradually while maintaining consistency and ensuring the quality and safety of care were not compromised.

The provider's focus on learning, development and quality improvement helped ensure care remained person-centred and responsive to people's needs.