Helping at Home

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-centered 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.

All staff said they had seen improvements in the service and the culture in the months leading up to our assessment. Some of the staff members we spoke with said they had thought about leaving before the changes were implemented. One person said “Conversations used to be very one way, and I was just told what to do. Now they actually listen and try to understand what is happening. It feels like this is due to the change of management, they said [to staff member] “why don’t you just give us a chance” so I said ok and stayed and I am happy with the changes.” All staff said they would recommend working at Helping at Home to someone else.

Throughout the process the leadership team were open and honest and open to feedback from the inspection team. They showed a clear understanding of the needs of people and the local community. However, this shared vision, and culture was not yet embedded in ways of working.The provider had an introduction booklet for staff which contained photos of the team to help identify them, the company values, sickness procedure and on call information.

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. Staff felt comfortable with the management team and felt the mix of skills was helpful. One staff member said “[The manager] attitude is a big part of it and the knowledge they have. [The manager] is also very supportive.” Another staff member said, “They [management team] are very understanding with things that pop up in your life with things that can’t be helped.”

Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. All staff were clear about how to report concerns, record on the electronic system the provider used, and had confidence the provider would address any concerns and make improvements.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider had an appropriate policy for Whistleblowing which staff were aware. Staff felt there was a culture of openness, they could speak up and would be listened to. Staff and leaders actively encouraged staff to raise concerns and promoted the value of doing so. A staff member told us “Where I worked before, they didn’t care as much about their customers, if you raised concerns, they wouldn’t flag them as much as they should have. Staff here will help you with your concerns.”

When things went wrong, swift action was taken to make improvements. A staff member told us about raising concerns using an app on the electronic system the provider used. They said, “you could raise concerns through the app, it goes straight to the office. When I have raised a concern, it has been dealt with.”

This positive and open culture within the service encouraged staff to raise concerns without fear, demonstrating the provider’s strong commitment to transparency, learning, and continuous improvement.

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. Staff told us they felt supported by the care manager and received regular supervision and opportunities to get guidance and support from the management team. When asked about supervisions a staff member said, “It [supervision] goes over everything. If I had a problem I would tell [care manager] straight away anyway.”

Staff we spoke with said they were happy and compared their experience working at Helping at Home to other care providers. One member of staff said, “They make you feel like part of the team and value you.”

Another staff member said how they valued being passed positive feedback from people and their families and described the confidence boost it gave them. They said “What is nice is compliments from families. [Manager] shares that with us.”

The provider had appropriate policies in place including lone working policy and flexible working policy which supported staff who may need specific working arrangements to support their wellbeing, work and home life balance.

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 current manager had introduced a number of new processes aimed at strengthening oversight and quality assurance. While these processes were not yet fully embedded, there was clear evidence that auditing systems were active and being utilised to monitor key areas of service delivery.

As part of the initial governance review, the care manager developed a structured action plan to support the care manager and wider management team in identifying and addressing priority areas. The format of the action plan was reviewed to ensure clarity around timescales and accountability for each action.

In relation to medicines governance and safety alerts, a discussion was held regarding the risk assessment of flammable creams. The care manager provided evidence of this assessment being completed, and appropriate actions taken, including a referral to the local fire service for one individual identified as being at increased risk.

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.

We saw evidence of collaboration with partners which included appropriate information sharing and engaging external partners to support with improvements to people’s care. The provider clearly understood their duty to work in partnership with others and people’s care plans, daily notes and emails evidenced this.

People described communication with the office as good. People said they knew who to contact and found staff to be approachable and respectful. One person said,“They are amenable and flexible and have never pushed back.”

People felt the service was well managed. They described the management team as approachable, professional, and responsive. One person said,“From what we have seen, I do think it is well managed.”

People spoke positively about the leadership and said they would recommend the service to others. One person said,“Helping at Home has given us our lives back.”

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 had a digital care record and call monitoring system in place and was actively discouraging the use of paper to support environmental sustainability and help keep peoples personal data secured on password protected systems. Staff knew how to use this system, and any late calls or discrepancies were reviewed daily by the manager. This oversight helped identify where peoples care needs had increased and allowed the provider to investigate and submit referrals where needed. This also aided staff to have enough time on calls.