GoodOaks Homecare - Horsham and Crawley

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 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. We saw various examples of how GoodOaks Homecare Horsham and Crawley embedded the head office’s values of ‘Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Empathy’ (PRIDE). The management team and staff showed a commitment to person-centred care and frequently asked for feedback on the service. A person commented, “I had a recent feedback questionnaire to complete, a care manager came out and asked me my feedback to see how I thought they were doing. I know if I have problems I can call the office.” Survey results were analysed and any improvement areas addressed; the registered manager shared their findings with the staff team to ensure an open culture. Additional feedback from people was further captured and shared with the staff team. Staff attended monthly meetings to discuss the service, the people they supported and received bite sized training sessions to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff were kept informed of changes and updates within the service, they used a communication app for secure message sharing and email updates where needed.

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 supported by the nominated individual, a deputy manager and senior managers from the head office. A senior manager told us how managers who are new to the organisation received a thorough induction to policies and procedures to support the franchise to deliver services to people. GoodOaks head office provided support through on site checks and audits and remote access for advice if needed. People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and office team, some comments included, “They are good as gold to be fair.” And, “They hold a strong commitment to ensuring a safe environment not only to the clients but also us as the staff.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff were enabled to speak up during meetings and on a private basis. The registered manager’s open door policy was well utilised where staff visited to speak with them if needed. Staff had a whistle-blowing policy to follow if they felt unable to speak with the management team, the staff handbook included processes to empower staff to speak up if needed.

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 placed staff diversity and inclusivity with high importance, they made adjustments for staff when needed, such as, shift patterns to accommodate childcare or other work commitments. We received mostly positive feedback from staff with the exception of 1 who informed us their requests for days off were not always met. Another staff told us, “The service shows they value me by listening to my ideas, providing support and training, and treating me with respect. I feel well-supported at work, and my well-being is promoted through regular check-ins and a positive team environment. My working pattern suits me, and when I’ve requested adjustments, they have been considered and accommodated where possible.” The staff handbook was held on an app where staff were able to access all relevant policies. There was a wellbeing section within the handbook which contains details of the mental health first aider within GoodOaks head office. The registered manager told us a member of the office team were training to become the local mental health first aider.

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. Systems and processes were in place to review the quality of support people received and associated documents including their care records, medicine management, staff employment files and the general running of the service. Audits were effective in identifying gaps and areas of improvement. Action plans were created which stipulated who is responsible for the improvements and by what date, these were followed up and signed off as completed.

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. There were examples of community engagement and participation in events to promote the service locally. For example, a staff member completed a sky-dive and raised money for Dementia UK. There were strong links formed with Age UK; GoodOaks Homecare Horsham and Crawley had sponsored some local community events and provided informative talks. The registered manager attended meetings and seminars alongside registered managers of GoodOak Homecare’s other franchises, they gave examples of sharing good practice and providing mutual support to each other, there was a weekly ‘power hour’ which was held for registered managers online.

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 registered manager and senior manager from head office spoke about plans to streamline the initial assessment process; this would include technology to support the completion of forms through voice activation. They had identified that completing forms when speaking with people could feel impersonal, the new system would enable them to capture people’s wishes in their own words. The registered manager showed us a new supervision form which had been created to capture informal discussions as staff would frequently visit or telephone the office without the reasons being documented. GoodOaks as a whole organisation had a green plan which promoted environmental sustainability, they were proud to demonstrate how they had reduced their carbon footprint which included the use of environmentally friendly PPE and limited use of paper-based records.