Everycare Hastings

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Since the last inspection the manager had been registered and had established a stable and clear leadership for staff. Further improvements had included closer quality review of people’s satisfaction and staff practice in people’s homes during spot checks.

The provider and registered manager shared clear aims and direction for the service. The priority was to provide a tailored person-centred service which promoted people’s rights and independence. They valued staff as an integral part of the service. The provider, reflected on ensuring staff were treated well to ensure they were able to complete their work. The registered manager confirmed the services aims and values were shared with staff during induction and reinforced regularly. They fostered an open and supportive culture for staff that supported the values of the service and promoted inclusiveness. Staff were positive about how the service was managed saying, “They listen and take care of the whole team and the clients, they are open and warm.”

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.

The registered manager was supported and worked closely with the provider. Both were committed to the service and each had distinct roles and responsibilities. Discussions showed they knew people, their relatives and staff individually. An inclusive working environment had been established where staff felt comfortable to approach them and come to the office for company and discussion. Staff were positive about their management style and the support they gave and said, “They are nice people.” And “They are very good to me.”

The registered manager was visible, available and had a clear oversight and understanding of the care and support and how it was delivered. They led by example and demonstrated a caring and compassionate approach to people and staff.

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

People and their relatives were confident that they could speak to either the registered manager or the provider and they would be listened to. A relative told us, “Any issues I raise with the management about X care have always been dealt with well and workable solutions found.” Another said, “The provider is always professional and helpful with any enquiries I have. They are a great team and very supportive.”

Staff told us they were able to speak to the registered manager or the provider whenever they needed to. They felt they were listened to and had their views considered. They said, “I feel very supported and listened to by both, they always have time for you.” The service had created an environment where staff were able to speak up and raise concerns when needed.

There was a whistle blowing policy in place and this was introduced to staff at induction. The registered manager confirmed this document, and process would be shared again with staff at the next team meeting to ensure staff were familiar with its contents.

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 told us they valued diversity in their workforce and recruited staff based on attitude and skills. They showed an empathy towards staff and their home life and cultural values and how these impacted on their working and daily lives. They described adjustments made to support staff. For example, ensuring the work schedule supported staff with caring responsibilities and staff who had religious commitments and celebrations to be observed.

Staff were very happy working for the service and told us they were valued and treated with respect. Staff in turn were motivated and showed a commitment to the service. One told us, “I want to learn more, so I am more valuable to the company.”

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 registered manager had a clear oversite of the care and support provided. They monitored and reviewed standards were maintained by regular contact with people, relatives and staff. They often worked with staff and was committed to ensuring all staff were well trained and supported. Spot checks and staff supervisions were used for quality monitoring and assurance.

Feedback from people, relatives and staff was encouraged and used to review and improve the service provision whenever possible. This included the use of surveys and open lines of communication. Relatives told us, “I have the managers contact number and message her regularly. They encourage this contact to get things right.”

All feedback recorded on a national home care review platform website was positive. With people and relatives providing feedback that praised the service. A recent review included, “The carers were all excellent and punctual and helpful and friendly. They all liked a chat and I liked that. The provider and manager have a firm hold on their team and it's a happy company.”

Discussion with the provider and the registered manager confirmed there were plans for service improvement and development. This was not currently recorded in a formal way, and the provider recognised the need to structure these plans within a working document.

As a franchise the service had organisational policies and procedures to follow and adapt to the service. Governance and auditing systems need further development, and the provider acknowledge this as an area to progress further. This should include further audits on records to support governance.

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 was proactive when approaching other organisations and agencies for support and had an open receptive attitude to receiving this support. A visiting professional confirmed the registered manager attended on their visits to facilitate communication and joint working.

A relative also praised the registered manager for working with all sorts of community service. “I feel they go above and beyond their remit. On one occasion, a fault in the washing machine caused the fuses to trip out. This caused the heating and some socket and lights to stop working. X got very upset and distressed at this situation. The manager organised an electrician to get the problem fixed as soon as possible. They are always professional, proactive and resourceful in their approach.

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.

The registered manager and provider used information feedback and any incident to review change and improve areas whenever possible. Concerns and safeguarding issues were used as learning opportunities. An oversight of these was maintained by the registered manager and any learning was shared with staff through team meetings, supervision and notifications on secured messaging devices.

The registered manager and provider were positive in response to the findings throughout the assessment process. They both responded positively to the feedback implementing improvements immediately which included recording planned improvements and actions taken on an improvement plan.