Baxters Homecare

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 Outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider’s vision of providing high quality care with compassion, and ensuring people achieved the best quality of life, was clearly demonstrated throughout the culture of the service.

Systems were in place to share learning and good practice, including lessons learned, with a strong ethos of focus on staff development. Records evidenced staff were regularly invited to discuss achievements and concerns about people in team meetings, supervisions, and throughout their working time. Staff were encouraged to access external qualifications and completed bespoke training to ensure they could carry out their roles effectively, contributing to safe, effective, and consistent care.

The registered manager told us they carried out regular spot checks to ensure people’s care was being delivered in a consistently caring, compassionate way. A staff member told us they felt well supported to carry out their role. They told us, “[Registered Manager] said to always do good, even when no-one is looking, and it will become a habit.” Another staff member told us, “The registered manager often tells us we need to ask ourselves if we would be happy if our loved ones receive the same care we are providing, and if the answer is no, then we are below expectation.”

The provider had exceptionally 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 always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager held clinical qualifications and a lengthy experience in healthcare which they shared with staff to lead the service exceptionally well. The registered manager was undertaking further qualifications to become a practice assessor to support student nurses to undertake placements with the provider. Staff were offered the opportunity to complete additional qualifications. The management team supported their staff to become leaders within the service.

Staff received supervision from team leaders, the registered manager, and external nursing consultants, so the provider could maintain exceptional oversight of the service. The registered manager had been nominated for, and reached the final selection process, for a national leadership in care award.

Without exception, we received positive feedback from people, their relatives, staff and professionals about the leaders of the service. Comments included, “[Registered manager] in particular, maintains regular communication, proactively shares updates, and seeks guidance where appropriate to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.”

Staff told us, “My care manager cares not just for the [person] but also for [their] staff.” This meant that staff were consistently supported to provide compassionate care for people.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had multiple opportunities to speak up, including through supervisions carried out with an external consultant, as well as other leaders within the organisation. The registered manager ensured this process occurred regularly, so staff felt confident in speaking up in the event of any concerns. Staff told us, “Whenever concerns are voiced, they are addressed positively.” A person told us they knew who to speak to if they had a concern “but I have never needed to.”

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.

Staff told us they had been consistently supported by leaders to adjust to living and working in a new country and were continuously supported to adjust to differing cultural expectations. Staff demonstrated a consistently strong understanding of people’s human rights and how to uphold them in practice. Records evidenced inclusive, proactive discussions during team meetings about people’s equality and diversity needs. Staff were supported to which included allowing time for staff to celebrate religious events. This meant people experienced care in a consistently inclusive way, by a workforce who felt valued.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Leaders demonstrated exceptional oversight of the service through rigorous daily reviews and audits of care records and medicines practice. The registered manager evidenced this monitoring had been firmly embedded over a long period, including when the service supported a larger number of people.

The service operated a highly effective “daily safety thermometer,” which captured key clinical indicators such as bowel management, urinary tract infections, falls and tissue integrity, as well as visits from professionals, and any safeguarding concerns or complaints. Leaders reviewed each person’s records every day and completed the safety thermometer with clear actions and follow‑up notes where required.

This approach provided leaders with consistent, real‑time oversight of people’s health, wellbeing, and risks. Leaders were able to identify emerging concerns immediately and take swift, preventative action, significantly reducing the risk of harm and ensuring people received exceptionally safe, responsive care from staff, resulting in fewer hospital admissions for people. This meant people experienced stability in their health needs and experienced less disruption to their quality of life.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Professionals told us they felt the provider worked exceptionally well with them to ensure people’s care was seamless. Professionals told us, “Staff communicate effectively with professionals and work collaboratively to ensure care is delivered holistically. From my experience, Baxters Homecare is reliable, responsive, and easy to contact. The service is proactive in its approach and often goes above and beyond to support individuals. Baxters Homecare provides a high standard of care, with strong communication, effective risk management, and a proactive approach to supporting individuals.”

The provider offered a free service to assist vulnerable people to carry out small tasks for people who needed it such as collecting prescriptions or picking up grocery items from local shops.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always 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 demonstrated exceptional commitment to driving improvement both within the service and across the wider health and social care community. Leaders actively shared learning and contributed to local healthcare strategies, influencing developments in care policy, end‑of‑life practice, and safe medicines management in community settings.

The registered manager proudly told us all staff were supported to undertake provider‑funded development opportunities, including formal healthcare qualifications. The provider placed a strong emphasis on continuous learning, ensuring every staff member was enrolled on a Level 3 or Level 5 diploma pathway. This investment in professional development meant people received highly skilled, innovative care, and partner organisations benefitted from the provider’s expertise and learning.

The provider had clear plans to contribute further professional knowledge to improve the care and support offered to people with a learning disability, demonstrating a forward‑thinking and sector‑leading approach to improving outcomes for the wider community.