Veemu Healthcare Office

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 71 (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.

Relatives were happy with the care their family member received and felt the service was well run.

Staff reported that the registered manager was approachable and easy to talk with if they needed to raise any concerns.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the ethos of the service and were confident in their responsibilities. They understood their roles and felt well supported by the management team.

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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection, there was a registered manager in post who is also the owner of the business. The registered manager had experience of working with the NHS and GP surgeries. The registered manager had the experience, capability and integrity to ensure that the organisational vision can be delivered, and risks are well managed.

The registered manager told us they had an open-door policy towards staff contacting them. Staff we spoke with were positive about the organisation and the support they received from the registered manager.

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

People who used the service told us they felt they could raise issues with the provider and that they would be addressed. There were systems in place to support the practice of being able to speak up, including a complaints procedure and whistle blowing policy. The registered manager held regular discussions with staff and people, giving them opportunities to speak up. The provider conducted surveys every six months which gave people using the service the opportunity to provide feedback on the running of the service.

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 provider had a policy in place on equality and diversity to guide practice in this area. Staff told us they were treated fairly by their employer. Staff recruitment was carried out in line with good practice.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had some quality assurance and monitoring systems in place. These included six-monthly surveys of people who used the service. We saw the most recent surveys contained mostly positive feedback about the service.

Few audits were caried out, for example, the provider completed audits related to care planning, medicines records, and Infection control. There was no process to analyse and monitor the quality of the daily log notes. Care plans were subject to regular review.

The manager did not carry out any staff supervisions and appraisals. Although, the register manager confirmed that they regularly spoke with staff about ongoing professional development, there was no documentation available for us to review. The registered manager shared their compliance and quality assurance audit checklist, but it was not being followed.

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 confirmed that they were working closely with the local authority at various levels. They attended and met other providers at forums organised by the local authority.

As the person using the service had been managing their own appointments, the provider relied on the person to implement changes in their support plan. This means that the provider had been working with the person to support them to manage as much as they can. The person had the full control of their life, and the provider is enabling them to live an independent life with full control.

A regular survey was sent to people and relatives to obtain their feedback about 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.

There was a focus on continuous learning and improvement. For example, staff undertook regular training to help them develop in their role. The registered manager told us they want to grow their business in other boroughs while maintaining a higher quality care.