HomeLink Healthcare 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.

Staff told us the culture within the service was positive, inclusive and compassionate, which helped build trust and understanding between the service and people using it.

Staff and the management team demonstrated a well-developed understanding of equality, diversity, and human rights, and they prioritised safe, high-quality and compassionate care. Equality and diversity were actively promoted and the causes of any workforce inequality were quickly identified, and action taken to address the issues.

People who used the service also spoke positively about the service. Their comments included, “I’ve had occasional communication with senior staff and management. I feel [HomeLink Healthcare] is well run and organised and has accurately addressed my needs. I would confidently recommend the service”. and “I’ve spoken to senior management occasionally and it was a positive experience”.

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 and wider management team were experienced and demonstrated dedication and commitment to working closely with staff, other healthcare professionals and people who used the service, to ensure high standards were maintained.

Staff said they could talk to the office staff and the management team at any point and felt involved and included in the day to day running of the service and any changes that occurred. Staff said they had regular team meetings, as well as 1-1 support and supervisions, which provided opportunities for discussing any issues with the service and how to make improvements.

A member of staff told us, “I have been here 6 years. They are positive and communicative, and you can email anyone. Even the CEO does on call shifts, so it feels less hierarchical.” Another member of staff said, “I love working for the company. I feel that because the senior leadership team have come from a clinical background, it has a strong patient focus. There is a strong safety culture and I feel we are well listened to and heard”.

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

The staff and management team said that everyone worked within a culture of openness, honesty, and transparency. Staff were empowered to drive improvement and encouraged to raise concerns when needed. Staff said they had full confidence in the management team and said appropriate action was taken to address any concerns and keep people safe whenever necessary.

The service had effective systems and processes in place to help ensure people felt confident and knew how to speak up, raise concerns and whistle-blow, without fear of retribution. Staff knew about the whistleblowing policy, which was regularly reviewed and discussed with them.

A member of staff told us, “I have my line manager and I have a good relationship with the quality and safety lead and the safeguarding lead. I feel heard and listened to. You always get an explanation for anything you put forward”.

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 management team provided effective and proactive ways to engage with and involve staff, with a focus on hearing their voices and listening. Staff told us they felt supported to develop their skills and knowledge and were offered training to help with career development.

A member of staff told us, “I have been to a falls conference that was interesting and relevant to my role. I then disseminated this training to our local staff.”

A senior member of staff told us they completed mandatory training, as they still held an active clinical role. They also explained, how they worked hard to support the people they line managed on an individual basis. They said, “A big thing for me is recognising that everyone is different. I try to accommodate my clinicians’ preferences, such as having printed information rather than electronic, or meeting at their preferred venues”.

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 and the wider management team demonstrated that they had the skills and knowledge to provide a well-led service. They had a clear understanding of their responsibilities and were familiar with guidance for providers on meeting the regulations.

The provider had effective processes and systems for storing people's risk assessments, care plans, and daily logs. There were audits, which enabled staff and the provider to learn from and improve the service. People who used the service, as well as staff, provided regular feedback to confirm whether people were receiving the care and support they needed.

Staff and people who used the service told us they felt the service was well managed and said the management team were very approachable and supportive. A person who used the service told us, “It has worked for me so far. I would happily recommend the service 100% to others”.

A member of staff told us, “There are plenty of opportunities to speak to the leadership team and I can approach all levels of management. There are areas that are continuously being developed. When things are raised, they are escalated and actioned. There are regular task and finish meetings, to make sure things keep moving forward”.

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.

People’s care and support plans demonstrated there was effective partnership working and people were referred to appropriate healthcare professionals as and when needed. Information and guidance from external healthcare professionals was shared with the staff providing support to people, to help ensure consistency.

A member of staff told us, “Our purpose is to give patients choice, good person-centred care and work closely with the NHS.” They explained how reducing the length of time people spent in hospital was not only beneficial to the hospital by freeing up beds, but it also had a positive impact on people’s overall wellbeing. They emphasised that for this model of care to work, it was paramount to work in close partnership with all departments and have consistently strong and effective communication.

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 service had effective systems and processes in place to help ensure that lessons were learnt when things went wrong. We noted that any issues were raised and discussed in team meetings, as well as during staff’s supervision sessions. We found that lessons had been learned from mistakes and shortfalls in the past and appropriate action had been taken to ensure improvements were made and maintained.

The staff and management team told us how they contributed to making improvements to the service. Staff said they were encouraged to put forward improvement ideas and, those we spoke with, said they trusted the management team to listen and act.

A member of staff told us that when there were any incidents, these would be logged and raised with the management, who would support the staff through it. There were also monthly meetings where incidents were reviewed and discussed with the team. The team looked at areas for improvements and turned incidents into learning opportunities.

A senior member of staff told us, “I review ‘adverse events’ on a weekly basis. We look for themes and complete investigations. We have just done a piece of work on that for the safety of staff and patients. We have just released a training video about a specific care intervention, to try and prevent further incidents from happening”.