Trinity Homecare (Worcester Park)

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

A clear vision and strategy for the business had been developed. They wanted the service to be an advocate for care and promote the wider care agenda, supporting people and their families with all elements associated with ageing, including being able to signpost them to legal support, financial support, end of life planning, home renovations and once in a lifetime travel options which was reflected in the partnerships the service had established.

There was an inclusive approach to change management and all staff had been involved in the changes made at the service and the future direction and ambition. The nominated individual told us, “We encouraged them [staff] to be involved in the change and drive the change.” A new set of values had been developed, which were born out of focus groups with staff. They reflected what was important to staff and the service they delivered. There were expected behaviours and action statements associated with these values. These values and pillars of caregiving were central to the service structure and governance framework, and we found they were present in the culture and vision of the service. Ensuring that people receiving a flexible service that met their needs.

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The management team were passionate and ambitious. They had a clear drive to provide high quality care and there was a commitment to continuous development. The management team demonstrated the provider’s values and behaviours and modelled an open and approachable team culture. They were skilled, knowledgeable and had high expectations. They went out of their way to meet people using the service and ensure they received a personalised service.

Care workers felt extremely well supported by their managers and the Trinity Care at Home management team. They felt leaders were knowledgeable, skilled and professional. They commented that managers were approachable and they felt comfortable speaking with them and assured they would be listened to. A care worker said, “I feel very supported in my role. I know I can speak to anyone in the office, regardless of their position, if I ever have concerns or need help. The team is always approachable and willing to assist.” Care staff worked in partnership with their management team. They felt involved in the service and able to contribute to service improvement and development. Care workers told us, “Our views are always welcomed, and we’re encouraged to share feedback. It’s great to feel like a valued part of the team,” and “We are encouraged to give feedback and contribute towards how the service is run.”

The management team created an inclusive working environment. We saw examples where the management team challenged discriminatory behaviour from people using the service and supported their staff, in line with their values of equality and inclusivity.

People and relatives felt the management team were friendly, compassionate and approachable. They took time to get to know the people receiving support and checked in to ensure they were happy with how they were being supported. People and relatives told us, “[Name], the manager, pops in to see me and have a chat and they ask what I need or if I need anything different,” “The care manager is very good, they will just pop in to see us and have a cup of tea – it’s really genuine caring, not just a tick box.” The provider worked in partnership with the people receiving care and their relatives. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to complete satisfaction surveys and feedback about service delivery. This feedback was analysed and used to inform service development. People and their relatives felt well informed and there was good communication with their care team and the office staff. A relative said, “Their communication is excellent and we have access to the App the care workers use.” There was a drive and passion within the staff team, and it was evident from conversations with staff, that there was a clear partnership with people and families. Staff took the time to get to know people and understand their priorities to develop that partnership working.

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

Care workers felt comfortable speaking up and felt their views and opinions would be listened to and respected. They were aware of whistleblowing procedures and how to escalate their concerns should they need to. A whistleblowing policy was in place which detailed a centralised email address which staff could use to raise concerns confidently and confidentially.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Policies were in place to protect staff welfare and ensure equality and diversity in the workforce. Various policies were in place to accommodate flexible working and ensure staff’s individual needs were supported. The management team supported staff to adjust their working arrangements to accommodate their personal needs during difficult or challenging times, or in times of ill-health.

The management team had introduced initiatives to promote team working and staff morale. This included internal competitions and quizzes, including their popular ‘bake off’ cooking challenge. There was a cohesive staff team and staff felt supported by their colleagues.

An inclusive working environment was in place which recognised individual staff contribution and supported all staff. There was a staff awards scheme in place to acknowledge staff’s individual hard work. The provider held stalls at LGBTQ+ pride marches and in the head office there were various noticeboards celebrating the diversity of their staff group and acknowledging what was important to them. The provider held webinars on inclusivity and the importance of supporting diversity and people living free from discrimination. Staff were clear there was no tolerance towards discrimination and all staff were welcomed.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Systems were in place to track compliance with key governance systems, including regular programmes of telephone calls, visits, medicine reviews and care reviews. We saw these were used to ensure staff were meeting people’s needs and to monitor people’s wellbeing. Staff liaised with people’s relatives if they identified a dip in the person’s emotional health.

A governance framework was in place which included a programme of audits, quality and risk meetings and governance committees to review key performance data and review the quality and safety of service delivery.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider worked in partnership with a number of other organisations and initiatives to provide a holistic approach to care delivery. These enabled the provider to offer a package to people that met their care needs but also supported them with other needs associated with care and aging. These partnerships were working well to improve outcomes for people, ensuring people and relatives felt heard and supported, and provide an advocacy role to coordinate care and support needs. The partnerships enabled people to have access to other resources that were available to support their care needs. They used advance technology solutions to support people to remain active and mobile as they entered older age. Some of the partnerships also benefitted people by having more information and resources available to support their extended care and support needs, including in relation to financial and legal advice. The provider also had a partnership with travel companies which were available to support people to organise trips aboard and cruises in line with their wishes.

The provider contributed to the wider health and social care landscape and shared their learning to educate and develop the care industry. Lunch and learn information sessions were being held about caring and the care profession. These sessions were held for prospective staff, families and health and social professionals, so they could find out more about the support and services on offer. Staff regularly presented at national conferences and provided support to other providers to share learning.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The management team promoted the education of their care staff and supported them to develop and improve their practices. The provider’s ‘Care Insight’ newsletter had been developed to inform and educate care staff. The provider’s intranet was also used to share key information to care staff. Feedback from staff was that these were useful products and provided key learning material in bite sized information which further improve staff’s understanding of people’s needs and how to support them. The provider had introduced an online resource for care staff. This included Trinity Homecare’s policies and procedures, best practice guidance and people’s care needs assessments. Care staff were able to use this app if they had questions about care and how to do things, or if they wanted to know a little more about the person, for example, where they grew up, so they could use it to stimulate conversation and engagement. It enabled staff to have access to a range of information quickly and help staff to feel supported and enable an efficient service.

Care staff were empowered to develop their passions and the care group had introduced improvement ambassadors. These were care staff who were taking a lead role within the group to champion and promote key service areas. This included a range of topics such as understanding learning disabilities, autism, dementia, safeguarding, medicines, and infection prevention and control.

The provider was using their partnerships with other agencies to develop innovative ways to provide high quality care at home. The service had been recognised at the care home awards for innovative technology regarding their joint work with a leading electronic care records provider to tailor and adjust the system to enable clearer and more accurate recording. This enabled better oversight and governance of care delivery systems such as incident reporting and care reviews. The electronic care records provider was using the learning from this joint work to improve their product and offer to other care providers, to further enhance the quality and safety of care records and the associated management tools.

The care staff used their partnership work to continue to develop their staff and the service offered. There was passion within the staff team to come up with creative ways to develop and improve service delivery and ensure people had access to a holistic care and support service which met their individual needs.

The provider had commissioned research on the perceptions of ageing. This paper highlighted some of the misconceptions around ageing and care. It highlighted that there was a lack of knowledge within the general public around care options, particularly care at home options. The service held information sessions for members of the public to enable them to have a greater understanding of what care options were available to enable people to stay in their own homes for longer. A member of the management team told us, “We want to shine the light on home care. And make home care a credible alternative to care homes.” It also highlighted what was priority for the ageing population so the service could tailor themselves to this need. The research had been received well externally and published in industry magazines to share the learning with a wider audience.