Alina Homecare - Dorchester

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 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 provider had established a positive culture that was person-centred, transparent, inclusive and empowering. Managers and staff, we spoke with, demonstrated a good understanding of equality, diversity and human rights, and explained how they prioritised safe, high-quality, compassionate care. Managers shaped the culture by engaging with staff, people, their relatives and others important to them, and with other stakeholders.

People and relatives consistently praised the service, describing it as well run, trustworthy and reliable. One relative told us, “They give an excellent service, going above and beyond what I expected of them.” Staff confirmed the management team promoted openness and mutual support.

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.

Managers and leaders were knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services provided and had access to appropriate support and development in their role.We received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the management team. Feedback we received from people, their relatives, staff and professionals showed that leaders were compassionate and inclusive. One person commented, “The management is fantastic, extremely helpful and always going an extra mile.”

Staff told us that managers were available, consistent, supportive and led by example. The providers policies and service agreement plan clearly identified expectations of how staff should support people to live well, placing people at the centre of designing their care. This was evident in people’s feedback about care and language used by staff in daily entries and care plans.

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

Staff had access to the whistleblowing policy. They were encouraged to speak with the registered manager in the first instance if they had any concerns. Staff were also reminded that they could raise concerns externally with the local authority or CQC if they did not feel comfortable reporting issues internally.

Management operated an open-door policy and were responsive, offering advice about visits, support with completing paperwork, and day-to-day guidance whenever needed. There was a positive culture of speaking up. All the staff we spoke with felt confident to actively raise concerns, without fear of detriment. Staff told us they felt listened too, and there was an open and honest culture.

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 service had an open, inclusive recruitment policy. Management ensured equity of opportunity and experience for the workforce within their place of work, and throughout their employment. Staff felt they were treated fairly and with respect.

Staff were happy in their job. Staff told us they were supported at work, encouraged to question practices and suggest new ideas or initiatives to help continually improve their practice. Staff were also supported in their personal lives. Staff morale was high, and all staff took pride in their work for Alina Homecare - Dorchester. Comments from staff included, “I feel proud working for a service which is well led with clear focus on safety, quality and person-centred care. There is so much support for staff. I feel even prouder to be able to support people live a fulfilled life” and “I believe we support people to live a happier, healthier and more independent life.”

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 clear systems for oversight and quality monitoring. There were various quality assurance systems and checks in place. These included audits on care notes, care plans and medication. These had been mostly effective; however, we found examples where issues with records had not been identified before our inspection. The provider responded positively to our feedback and immediately rectified all shortfalls. They told us how they would improve their audits.

There was evidence of a positive culture and commitment to improvement, and any issues were resolved immediately. There were plans in place for business continuity in case of emergency or natural disasters, such as adverse weather events. The provider ensured there were sufficient resources and contingency planning was in place to ensure smooth care delivery for people. The manager had a good understanding of CQC requirements, in particular, to notify us, and where appropriate the local safeguarding team, of incidents including potential safeguarding issues, disruption to the service and serious injury.

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 provider was transparent, collaborative and open with all relevant external stakeholders and agencies. Staff worked in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, enable joined-up care, and improve people's experiences, health, and wellbeing. The registered manager established effective processes to ensure partnership working with people, relatives and health professionals was maintained. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved with people's care. We received positive feedback about working in partnership from 2 health and social care professionals who responded to our request.

The registered manager told us they actively invited the local community to participate in open days in the office, coffee and cake mornings and charity bingo events they organised.

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 promoted an open and reflective learning culture where staff felt supported to raise concerns, share ideas and learn from experiences. The provider ensured that people using the service, and their relatives were involved in developing and evaluating improvement and innovation initiatives. Where people and staff feedback was received, the registered manager analysed responses to ensure any lessons learnt were identified so they could improve the service going forward. The management was proactive in identifying learning which was shared promptly and consistently to staff. The registered manager participated in managers meetings where knowledge and lessons learned were shared with wider team.

People’s community participation was encouraged and supported, with staff supporting people to access activities, develop independence and build relationships outside of their homes.

The service demonstrated openness to learning and a commitment to making improvements where needed. The provider welcomed the CQC inspection and said feedback was valued and seen as essential for driving quality. Systems were in place to monitor progress against identified actions, and these were reviewed by the registered manager to ensure actions were completed in a timely way and that effective oversight was maintained.