AMG Nursing and Care Services - Burton

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 71 (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.

Staff we spoke with shared a positive view of putting people first and meeting their needs. One staff member told us, “We make sure we meet their [People’s] needs, in line with their best interests.”

The provider displayed different information in the office reception for staff to follow to raise concerns and provided them with accessible information on different aspects of the service and the direction it was heading with different partnership working.

Staff were a part of an employee of the month recognition scheme as a token of appreciation and encouragement for staff.

The provider had inclusive leaders who had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

At the time of the inspection the registered manager was no longer in post, and the provider was in the process of cancelling their registration. They were also in the process of recruiting a new registered manager; whilst one had not been appointed during our inspection, the management team had a clear oversight of the service and implemented covering arrangements whilst they recruited a new manager.

Staff we spoke with confirmed they knew who to contact for support and did not have any concerns for the leadership of the service. One staff member told us, “I feel supported within my role, if I have any issues, I always go in and speak to the manager, if I ring, problems get resolved almost instantly. They get back to you as soon as they can”. Another member of staff told us, “When I have had struggles, I have gone higher to the head office, and they have dealt with it.”

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

Staff confirmed overall, they felt able to raise concerns, feedback or make suggestions to improve the service. Some staff however, felt if they raised concerns in relation to staff issues this was not always acted on in a timely way.

The provider held regular team meetings where staff had the opportunity to provide their input into the service. Although, some staff we spoke with felt they were not informed of team meetings or updated if the time of the meeting changed meaning they were unable to attend. We, however, reviewed emails sent to staff to inform them of upcoming team meetings with details of the time and dates. We reviewed recent meeting minutes which showed a low number of attendees but included options for staff input and action taken.

The whistleblowing policy was displayed in the entrance of the office to provide staff with access as and when required.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for staff who worked for them.

Staff were supported within their roles by staff members and the management team. One staff member told us, “We share communication through the care staff, the care staff communication is so important.”

The provider encouraged staff pledges to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. The pledges were championed by staff to treat staff and people with kindness and respect. One staff member’s pledge stated they will “…Accommodate carers and client’s diversity, making them feel included.”

The provider completed regular supervisions, spot checks and appraisals with staff members to discuss any concerns within their role and to provide them with opportunities to help them develop and progress.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, and systems of accountability, although some required reviewing to ensure accurate and up to date information was always recorded.

Staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities when managing risk to people and reporting any concerns.

The provider had processes in place to review and monitor the service through regular audits and checks. Assigned staff were responsible for the completion of the audits to ensure shortfalls were identified and actioned as and when required.

We found, however, some missing information within people’s care records, the provider reviewed these, and updated people’s care records as required. Where we found people’s care records required further documentation from staff, the management team were already aware and had accessed additional training for staff around this area.

We also found some discrepancies with the electronic call monitoring (ECM) data for planned call times verses actual call times. Whilst we found limited impact on people receiving care and the provider had audits in place to monitor this, improvements could be made to ensure people received care on time and for the duration of their call.

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 worked with neighbouring services under the same provider when needed for support with staff calls. They worked closely with these services to make improvements to the delivery of care people received and the processes in place to achieve this.

Staff worked with external health and social care professionals to meet people’s individual needs. One professional told us “We cannot thank AMG enough, they are supporting the wider system and increasing hospital discharges. We review the outcomes for people and can see the improvements, the staff work well with us and ensure thorough processes are followed.”

Staff received and shared feedback from external professionals who were working alongside them to meet people’s needs. The provider shared recent feedback they received from 1 professional, which included praise from a person using the service of the care delivered by staff. The feedback included, “They [Person and their Relative] reported that the patients care needs were met to the highest of standards and the property was always left clean and tidy after each visit.”

The provider was working alongside the local authority to investigate and share any information in relation to open safeguarding referrals. We reviewed the latest quality assurance report from the local authority which was positive and demonstrated the provider completed the actions identified.

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 reviewed incidents, accidents, safeguarding and complaints and shared lessons learnt with staff to ensure improvements and good practice was understood and promoted across the staff team.

Staff worked with local services under the same provider to learn and improve the quality of care they delivered. One professional also informed us of a document a member of staff had created which included information and contact details of the external health professional teams, this provided the staff team with access to specific information as and when required.