MidCo Care

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.

Leaders promoted a culture focused on independence, inclusion, choice and positive outcomes. Staff understood the provider's values and described a commitment to supporting people to achieve meaningful lives and positive experiences. A staff member said, “all we want to achiever is to ensure there is always a positive outcome for people”.

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.

Leaders demonstrated openness, engagement and a commitment to developing their leadership practice. They responded positively to feedback and requests for further assurance and used this to strengthen oversight. Leaders had been supported to undertake leadership and management development courses, alongside coaching and mentorship programmes. They also engaged with wider health and social care networks through Skills for Care training and professional development opportunities, which helped strengthen leadership capability, share learning and support continuous improvement across the service.

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

Staff felt able to raise concerns and discuss issues openly with leaders. The provider had whistleblowing policies in place and displayed posters in staff areas encouraging staff to speak up and report concerns. Information also reminded staff that they could share both good and poor care directly with the Care Quality Commission.

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.

Staff spoke positively about the support available to them and their working relationships with colleagues and leaders. Staff had completed mandatory equality, diversity and inclusion training to support respectful and inclusive practice. The provider also considered people’s individual cultural and religious needs, including providing private spaces where people could practise their faith if they wished.

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.

Governance systems were established to provide oversight of quality, safety, medicines, incidents, safeguarding and care delivery. Leaders used regular audits, reviews and management checks to monitor performance, identify emerging risks and track areas requiring improvement. Findings from audits informed action plans and changes to practice, with leaders following up actions to ensure improvements were sustained. During the assessment, leaders demonstrated clear oversight of the service, responded promptly where further assurance was required and used feedback to strengthen governance arrangements.

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.

Leaders worked with healthcare professionals, local authorities, pharmacy teams and specialist services to support people effectively.

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 provider demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and improvement. Digital care systems were being introduced to improve recording, oversight and access to information. The provider was also exploring the future use of Technology Enabled Care (TEC) to support people’s independence, safety and choice.