Helping Hands Godalming

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 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.
Care records and case studies showed staff understood people’s histories, interests, relationships and preferences and used this knowledge to support their independence, emotional wellbeing and community involvement. Staff spoke with pride about their work and described the positive outcomes they had helped people achieve.
 

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 also confirmed they received supervision. However, staff described high turnover among office staff and frequent changes in coordination arrangements. One staff member said the manager, who was in place covering the actual registered manager, was managing two branches and appeared overstretched. This had contributed to some instability, although staff said the manager supporting the branch continued to provide good support and was very approachable.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.
Staff said they could report concerns to the office and receive advice or see action taken. They understood their responsibility to raise safeguarding concerns and described how they would record and report concerns about people’s safety and wellbeing. Staff also described the current manager and office team as approachable.
 

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 provider valued its workforce and supported staff to develop the knowledge and skills needed for their roles. Staff told us they felt valued and part of the team.
 

The provider had governance and oversight arrangements in place, but these were not always effective. Although systems were used to monitor quality and identify concerns, they did not consistently lead to timely or sustained improvements
The branch quality improvement plan identified incomplete or missing risk assessments and included an action. However, the shortfall remained evident in the records reviewed.
Despite this, care plans and risk assessments reviewed, on the whole, were detailed and person-centred and gave staff clear information about people’s needs.
 

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.
Care records contained clear escalation processes and guidance about seeking healthcare input when people’s needs changed. Staff supported people to maintain important relationships and access activities within their communities. Examples included reconnecting a person with activities provided by Sight for Surrey, helping people take part in meaningful outings and creating opportunities for people to develop friendships through shared interests. These approaches reduced isolation and supported people to maintain their identity, relationships and sense of purpose.
 

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 focused on learning and improvement and encouraged staff to find creative ways to improve people’s quality of life. Case studies showed staff developed personalised approaches based on people’s interests, histories and emotional needs. These included supporting a person to care for pets to reduce loneliness, using familiar
music to increase engagement and wellbeing, arranging a meaningful visit connected with a person’s past, and creating a knitting group around a person’s lifelong interests. These approaches had positive outcomes for people’s confidence, independence, emotional wellbeing and community connections.