Medacs Healthcare Plc

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.

The registered manager explained that the vision and ethos of the service were discussed during staff’s supervisions and appraisals. They said, “We want staff to be the best so people get the best care.” They explained that they made adjustments where needed to support staff to be able to work. For example, during religious festivals where fasting is required, the management organised rotas so care workers were home at sunset to eat with their families.

Staff and managers valued person-centred care, this was evidenced in people’s care records which were personalised and detailed people’s wants and wished.

Staff completed an induction and training package at the start of their employment with regular refresher training taking place. Staff received training in equality, diversity and inclusion.

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.

All staff we spoke to told us managers were supportive. Staff said they felt managers were approachable and they were available to offer advice and support when needed. Comments included, “Management is approachable and provides clear guidance, fostering a supportive work environment” and “I personally am very thankful for the manager. Due to personal circumstances [registered manager] has never faltered in her support, she knows I would never take advantage of her kindness and as a result she has an employee who is dedicated to the company.”

Records we reviewed evidenced managers understood their duty of candour and responded to complaints and safeguarding queries promptly.

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

There was a variety of opportunities available to ensure people and their relatives were able to share their views. This included people being able to speak with staff during their visits, the office regularly telephoned people to seek feedback and care was reviewed as and when necessary. The service also undertook regular surveys.

Staff we spoke with told us they felt able to speak up about any issues and their concerns would be listened to and acted upon. Staff had opportunities to speak up during individual and team meetings. Staff could also contact the office anytime if needed. The provider had whistleblowing policies and procedures in place.

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 explained how they supported staff to meet their religious and cultural needs or overcome discrimination and how this was promoted within the service. They explained how they supported staff during religious festivals. To support this the registered manager said they had a good mix of staff from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. This allowed them to change shift patterns and still meet people’s needs. Shifts were also organised so support staff to be able to meet their commitment to pray.

The service also employed people with disabilities. The registered manager gave an example of adjustments they had implemented to support staff to be able to perform their duties, which included staff being able to talk into the App they used and record their visit notes rather than having to write them and providing training materials in different colours. These functions helped those care workers with dyslexia.

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.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service being delivered. Audits were carried out periodically throughout the year by the registered manager and office staff. Action plans were put in place to address the improvements needed. Accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns were reviewed to help keep people safe and ensure appropriate action was taken.

There was a positive and open culture at the service. There were opportunities for people and their family members to provide feedback on 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.

The registered manager told us about a pilot project they had recently been involved in working alongside district nursing teams on the prevention of pressure wounds for people they were supporting. This had resulted in a large decrease in pressure ulcers on caseload of the district nurses involved in the pilot. One staff member told us, “We as care provider worked alongside the district nursing team. Recently we have been involved in pressure sore prevention along with district nurses and we were doing pressure ulcer risk assessment for those who are bed bound and double incontinent. We were also checking mid upper arm circumference to keep an eye on service users body weight for those who are at risk of malnutrition.”

A healthcare professional told us, “We worked in collaboration with Medacs around care staff undertaking some additional talks around pressure ulcer prevention. All I can really comment on is the commitment that Medac’s demonstrated to the pilot and also their staff who undertook additional training and whom without their support would not have been possible.”

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 service actively contributed to safe and effective practice. The service had recently been involved in working alongside district nursing teams on the prevention of pressure wounds for people they were supporting. When people had accidents, incidents or near misses these were recorded and monitored to look at for developing trends.

The manager explained they attended meetings with other registered managers fromwithin the organisation. This gave them the opportunity to share best practice and to also seek support and guidance from other registered managers which they said they found useful.