Always Caring Bromley Limited

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 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 providers statement of purpose outlined the aims, values, and objectives of the service. This provided clear guidance on the provider’s vision and approach to delivering care. Policies and procedures were reviewed and supported staff in delivering safe, effective, and consistent care. The registered manager demonstrated a clear understanding of their responsibility under the duty of candour. The Duty of Candour is a regulation that all providers must adhere to. Throughout our inspection of the service, the registered manager and staff we spoke with acted with openness and transparency.

The provider had inclusive leaders 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 service had a long-standing registered manager in post. The registered manager was knowledgeable about their responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2014 and understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. The registered manager demonstrated a clear understanding of what was happening within the service and maintained good oversight of the day-to-day management of the service. The registered manager was approachable and supportive to staff. Staff told us they felt supported and were able to raise concerns, help drive service improvements and seek guidance when needed.

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

Regular staff meetings, supervisions and spot checks were conducted to ensure staff felt involved and listened to. The service had systems and processes in place to help ensure people knew how to speak up, raise concerns and whistle-blow, without fear of retribution.

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 worked to improve equality and equity for staff by fostering a considerate respectful working environment where differences were recognised and valued. There was a staff ‘carer of the month’ award which celebrated staff success and celebrations held for annual cultural festivals for staff to attend. Staff completed equality and diversity training and told us the registered manager supported them to feel included and treated them with equity, taking account of their individual needs.

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.

Throughout the assessment, the registered manager demonstrated they had the skills and knowledge to provide a well-led service. They had a clear understanding of their responsibilities and audits and checks were in place to oversee service delivery ensuring people’s safety and needs were met. Audits covered areas such as, accident and incidents, medicines management, care records and safeguarding amongst others. Unannounced spot checks and observations on staff were carried out by senior staff.

People told us they felt the service was well-led. Comments included, “Communication between staff, family and management is excellent”, “The service delivered exactly what I expected”, “Credit to staff for making a major positive difference to [loved ones] life”, “The service is organised and reliable”, “Management are excellent and responsive”, and, “The service is well run and easy to deal with.”

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 worked effectively in partnership with external health and social care professionals to support coordinated and joined-up care. This included regular communication with GPs, local authorities and commissioners, district nurses, and hospital teams. Care records showed that staff worked well with health and social care professionals when required to ensure people received appropriate care and treatment.

The provider shared information and learning with staff and partners and collaborated for improvement.

There were systems and processes in place to help ensure that lessons were learnt when things went wrong. These included specific training sessions for staff, team meetings and staff supervisions. The registered manager discussed learning from accidents, incidents, safeguarding and complaints with staff. This supported learning and helped drive service improvements.