Royal Mencap Society - Essex Domiciliary Care

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 registered manager and the wider management team were passionate about ensuring people received person centred care and support, and this was shared by the staff team. One staff member told us, “As an employee of Royal Mencap Society, it has been a delight working with great minds in the care of people the people we support.” Staff told us they felt able to raise concerns and that management were supportive and approachable. Comments from staff included, “I have never had to make a complaint, but if needed to, I would feel comfortable talking to my manager as they are very approachable.”

People and their relatives told us they found the management team responsive and proactive. One relative told us, “They [managers] are so very welcoming” and “I’ve spoken to [manager] who is really responsive.” Another told us, “The managers are approachable, they reply to all my emails.”

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.

During our on-site inspection, we observed the registered manager, and wider management team knew people well and feedback we received supported this. Professionals told us the service was flexible, management were approachable and they had no issues with access to the service.

The registered manager had the experience and knowledge to support the wider management team and staff and understood the importance of ensuring a positive and open culture within the service. The provider had a values and behaviours framework for staff with 5 core values for all staff to work within as well as team agreements, which included a shared purpose that all people they support have a good quality of life, which is fulfilled and their independence promoted. Staff we spoke with shared these values. One staff member told us, “We work as a team prioritising delivery of optimum support to the people we support, enabling them to have a good quality of life. Their day-to-day care is on the mind of every staff.”

The management team were responsive, open and honest throughout the assessment and responded positively to feedback given.

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

Staff had received training in safeguarding and whistleblowing and were encouraged to speak up if they had any concerns. One staff member told us, “We have a whistleblowing policy which we are all aware of, found on our system, if we feel a complaint needs to be brought to anyone’s attention.”

Staff told us they felt comfortable speaking to management and there was a complaints policy in place that was accessible to people, staff and their relatives and representatives.

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.

Feedback from staff was positive around being treated fairly at work and the service had a policy in place for equality, diversity and inclusion and staff had access to equality and diversity training.

We observed a positive culture during our onsite inspection. One staff member told us, “A great place to work generally all my colleagues have become good friends, a good atmosphere everyone supports each other and shares ideas.”

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 provider had a robust governance framework in place to ensure regular checks of quality and safety were made. Audits were in place to monitor quality assurance and identify areas for improvement, for example around areas relating to health and safety and lessons learned. Statutory notifications were being completed as required and the local authority raised no concerns with us about the service. People’s care plans and risk assessments were being reviewed and updated and staff told us they were kept up to date with any changes to people’s care and support needs. The provider sought regular feedback from people, their relatives and staff and completed action plans to ensure continuous improvement of the service.

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 collaboratively with external healthcare professionals and people were supported to attend appointments when needed. Professionals visited the service and feedback supported that the provider worked in partnership with professionals. The provider facilitated community access for people and supported people to develop meaningful community networks. The provider also ensured external services attended the different sites. For example, one of the sites had a beautician who visited monthly and feedback from people there supported how much they enjoyed this.

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 registered manager worked with colleagues from across the organisation to share

learning and improve practice. The registered manager and wider management team had a good understanding of how to make improvement happen and were focused on improving outcomes for the people living at the service. They did this by having robust audits in place that supported the identification of any areas where improvements were needed as well as seeking feedback from all stakeholders.