CaringSmart Ltd - Dorset

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 and management team shared a strong value base and was committed to ensuring each person received a good standard of support. The provider said they were mindful of expanding the service as they didn’t want to lose the personalised element of service.

There was a strong culture of promoting people’s rights, and ensuring the person was at the centre of their support. This was regularly discussed during staff meetings and supervision sessions. Staff confirmed there was an open, supportive culture and enjoyed working for the company.

There was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. This was based on meeting people’s needs. Staff at all levels understood the shared vision of being transparent and proactive to support people to achieve their goals and keep them safe from avoidable harm.

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 provider was heavily involved in the service on a day-to-day basis. They knew people, their relatives and staff well, and expected good quality support to be provided. People and staff had confidence in the management of the service and felt included in decisions made.

Staff were consistently positive about the provider. Comments made included, “Working at CaringSmart Ltd-Dorset has been an incredible experience. Our team consistently collaborates, communicating effectively and offering support and guidance whenever needed. We prioritize providing high-quality, person-centered care. I genuinely believe the company cares deeply about both the individuals we support and the staff.”

Everyone we received feedback from was very complimentary about CaringSmart Ltd-Dorset. Comments made included, “Very well organised. I’m very pleased with it, I’m so grateful.” A person described the service as a, “Trustworthy and professional care agency”.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Procedures were in place for staff to whistleblow, and policies for people to make complaints.

Staff knew how to raise concerns, including how to ‘whistle blow’ if needed and how to access support. There were clear procedures for regular contact with staff and the management team.

People told us they would have no hesitation in raising a concern if needed. They said they would tell a member of staff or ring the office to speak to the manager or provider. People were confident they would be listened to, and their concern would be satisfactorily resolved.

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.

Policies and procedures incorporated aspects of recruitment and staffing and included retention plans, equality, diversity, fairness and protected characteristics. The provider was passionate and committed to having an inclusive workforce. The provider told us support and reasonable adjustments would be made for staff as and when needed, staff told us they were aware of how to ask for assistance if they needed to.

Staff and relatives told us they were actively encouraged to share ideas for improvement and innovation, be it verbally or in writing.

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.

Audits completed had checked all parts of the service were working well, identify and risks, or negative impact on people. Any lessons learned were shared with the staff team via supervisions and meetings, this promoted an open culture that was keen to improve.

Policies and procedures underpinned working practices, and this was supported by training and ongoing monitoring. The provider told us the staff team worked hard and were committed to their role.

There were systems to ensure staff’s learning and development. This included training, formal supervision, appraisal and staff meetings. The electronic system highlighted when staff needed any refresher training. This ensured staff were up to date with their knowledge and skills.

Staff confirmed they understood their roles and responsibilities and knew how their work contributed to the overall quality of the service.

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.

Well established, links had been made with external professionals. The service worked in partnership with a range of health and social care professionals. Records showed this included people seeing GPs and community nurses. The manager told us they attended a care forum and met with other managers to share ideas and experiences. They discussed staff training needs with various training providers and received information by email from a local care partnership forum and the Care Quality Commission.

The provider and manager attended local support groups, designed for adult social care services to attend and enabled peer support and the opportunity to gain ideas about developing the service.

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.

The management team and staff strived to be the best they could be. They said they did not want the service to grow in size, as they did not want to lose overall oversight or the individualised support provided. The provider was receptive to learning, introducing new ideas and responding to people’s feedback.

One staff member was qualified as Train the Trainer in several subjects. This enabled them to provide training to the staff team in topics such as moving people safely.