Homecare For You Solihull

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 68 (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 management and staff shared a vision to provide good care to people to enable them to remain in their own homes and to be as independent as possible. Staff spoke positively about the culture. One staff member said, “This is a happy place, the team has beenvery supportive, Meetings are face to face… we speak as a team.”

The provider had compassionate leaders who were capable; however, they did not always have the skills, knowledge and experience required to ensure robust systems and processes were in place to provide effective oversight of the service.

The managers were experienced, having worked in care for many years and holding relevant qualifications to support their roles. Since being appointed, they had introduced a number of practices that had led to significant improvements in the service.

However, the managers needed to further develop their understanding of certain regulatory responsibilities, including submitting notifications to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and their duties under the Mental Capacity Act such as assessing a person’s capacity.

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

Staff feedback was collected quarterly, responded to appropriately, and monitored over time to help maintain a positive workforce culture and support the safe delivery of care.

Staff told us they felt able to share their views. One staff member said, “At team meetings, we can give feedback. The feedback is listened to and acted upon.”

The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place which staff confirmed they were aware of.

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.

A diverse staff team had been recruited to support people who use the service and the provider demonstrated a commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in the workforce.

Staff who had joined from overseas were given additional support to help them understand cultural differences, including guidance on how to prepare foods they were less familiar with.

The management team supported staff to make flexible working requests to help them manage personal and family responsibilities, and rotas were planned in a fair and considerate way so that individuals were able to observe and celebrate their religious or cultural festivals. One staff member told us, “I can book time off when I need.Adjustmentsare made for us such as celebrating achievements,holidays and festivals.”

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.

Audits were not always effective. Although systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, they had not consistently identified the issues we found, such as gaps in recruitment checks and risk assessments. However, since the management team had only recently taken up their roles, improvements to auditing processes had already been made, and systems were still being embedded.

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.

Care records showed the provider collaborated with other services where appropriate. For example, one person’s review involved their social worker and referenced information sought from staff at their accommodation.

The provider worked with the local authority to make improvements to 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.

Managers held regular meetings with staff and carried out 1-1 supervisions and spot checks to provide feedback on the running of the service.

The local authority had identified several areas requiring improvement prior to our inspection. The management team had worked on an action plan and addressed the concerns raised.

Throughout our inspection, the management team were responsive to our feedback and took timely action to resolve the issues we identified.