J.C.Michael Groups Ltd Southend

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. The registered manager and staff shared a vision to provide good care to people to enable them to remain in their own homes and to be as independent as possible. A member of staff said, “We follow care plans as each client is different, we have lovely clients.”

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. The registered manager and staff team worked well together and supported each other. Staff shared how available the registered manager was and how they worked closely with carers when needed. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. The registered manager was very experienced and had been supported by the provider to develop their skills and was in a position to be able to deliver training to staff directly and check their competency.
Staff told us they felt listened to by the registered manager and provider and that anything they raised would be actioned. Staff told us they had opportunities to develop at the service with further training and role development.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were encouraged to speak up and were given forums with which to do this. Staff had regular 1:1 supervision, spot checks and staff meetings which all gave an opportunity to raise concerns. In addition, the provider had policies for staff to follow on ‘whistle blowing and speaking up’.

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 developed an inclusive workforce and recognised the value of diversity amongst the team. The registered manager holds a values-based interview with new applicants to assess their suitability for employment rather that just relying on experience. Where staff have been recruited from overseas the registered manager has worked with them to understand different cultures whilst ensuring they are not discriminated against.

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 understood their responsibility under duty of candour to be open and honest when things went wrong and investigate these. Notifications were raised promptly to the appropriate authorities when required these included the CQC and local authority safeguarding team.
The registered manager had good oversight of the service through the quality assurance systems they had in place. There was a focus on continual improvement at the service to provide positive outcomes for people.

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 worked with other healthcare professionals to ensure people’s healthcare needs were being met and reviewed. This included GPs, district nurses, occupational therapist, mental health professionals and advocacy services. The service also worked with the local authority when required to ensure they could meet people’s needs safely.

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 shared learning at the service from accident, incidents, complaints and safeguarding concerns to mitigate risks and improve outcomes for people. Staff were encouraged to share their feedback during meetings and supervision to help with the development of the service. Staff had been encouraged to develop their skills with additional training to equip them with the skills they needed. The registered manager had good support from the provider to continually develop their skills and practice development.