SSG Care Services 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 79 (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 manager told us their vision is “better lives through caring”. Leaders told us they discussed these values in team meetings to ensure staff were working in line with these. The NI said they asked staff how they demonstrate the service’s values. Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of these values.

Leaders told us how they were looking into branding some of their merchandise, and that this would be looked into once there were more staff.

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders went above and beyond their normal duties to ensure people received high quality care and support. The staff team included the manager and the nominated individual. The manager explained how they often stayed longer than the scheduled call times to help people with other tasks such as mowing the lawn and taking the bins out. The person’s relative confirmed this with us.

One relative said staff go “above and beyond normal duties” and described the service as “lifechanging”.

The manager commented, “I love making a difference to people’s lives, and helping them to live a quality life. I love giving that lift to someone’s spirit, I love meeting families, bringing a smile, and giving them hope that they can do better. We like going the extra mile, care is not task based.”

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

The provider had an open and transparent culture where staff were able to raise concerns and felt listened to. There was a freedom to speak up policy for staff, directing staff who to contact if there were concerns or if they were not satisfied with the response. This was also discussed in team meetings. Staff told us, “Freedom to Speak Up means being able to raise concerns without fear and I feel supported to do this in my role.”

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.

Leaders had not yet needed to make any reasonable adjustments for staff, however, leaders told us, “It is something we would consider, such as flexible working patterns. We are aware of childcare needs and working around school hours. We can accommodate that.” Staff told us they were treated fairly at work. One staff member said, “There is a positive and inclusive working environment where everyone is treated equally regardless of their background. “I feel valued, respected and treated fairly within the organisation.”

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.

There was evidence of clear governance systems in place, which meant leaders had a good oversight of the service and were able to identify risks. For example, there were audits undertaken to improve the quality of the service. These were effective as the service operated in line with regulations. Policies and procedures were detailed and comprehensive. Staff felt the service was well managed and organised.

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 manager told us they were not currently working directly with any healthcare professionals. However, leaders told us how they engaged with online forums, networking events and groups to keep up to date with best practice guidelines.

The manager told us, “There is a group I belong to which have webinars. The group talks about things like policy reviews and marketing. I use them mainly for tender writing, it is quite helpful. We attend networking events. I started learning how to do tender writing myself through this group.”

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.

Leaders explained how they had identified some shortfalls with the care planning system and the online training system for staff and therefore new systems were being introduced. The service engaged with other services to promote learning, improvement and innovation.