Opieka Limited Office

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 changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider’s mission was to provide care with compassion, kindness empathy. During this assessment, we found they had achieved their aim whilst delivering a high-quality service. We received feedback from people, their relatives, staff and professionals, all of which was incredibly positive about the service and support. A relative said, “We feel peace of mind that we get a good service.” A professional told us, “Opieka’s professionalism, management and care is of a very high standard.”

The provider had excellent core values which were reflected throughout the service. The management team and staff shared and lived the provider’s values. Values included dignity, respect, empowerment, independence, compassion and kindness which were integrated throughout the service from the recruitment, training and allocation of staff to the delivery of person-led care.

There was strong, effective teamwork. All staff told us of the positive work environment which fostered and maintained effective teamwork. A staff member said, “I’m particularly proud of how well we all work together, the communication and the support. It’s a fabulous team with everyone willing to help one another.”

The provider fostered a supportive culture for staff. Staff told us they were always available for support and guidance. Staff were also supported to progress in their careers when opportunities arose.

The provider and management team always led the service with integrity, openness and honesty. They understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively.

The management team had lived experience of social care and used their personal experiences as a driving force for them to provide high-quality care. The registered manager said, “We really want to be the best care company and to ensure that people are looked after the best at home. We go the extra mile and need a team which has the same values. We’re fastidious in checking that.”

The provider and management team led by example. They understood the challenges staff experienced and ensured they were always contactable. The registered manager said, “We wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything which we weren’t prepared to do ourselves.”

People, their relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback to make positive changes to people’s care and the overall service. We received consistent, highly positive feedback from people, their relatives and staff about the management team. A professional said, “It is very well led from our experience. The [management team] is always at the end of the phone or email to sort any issues.”

The management team fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. People and their relatives provided consistently positive feedback about the approachability of the management team.

A whistleblowing policy was in place and understood by staff. Staff told us they were confident any concerns they raised would be fully acted upon.

The management team considered diversity within their workforce to be a positive attribute and promoted inclusion. All staff were treated with respect and valued by the management team. A staff member said, “I feel a valued member of the Opieka team, and I am very proud to be part of the team.”

The provider’s care recording system allowed staff to dictate care notes in their preferred language which where then translated to English and saved on the person’s records. Where required, training and support had been tailored for staff where English was not their first language.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

A comprehensive and effective governance system helped maintain excellent standards of care for people. The provider had not received any complaints as people and their relatives were very happy with the care provided. The management team reviewed all care records daily which meant they were able to identify and address any concerns at the earliest opportunity. Their systems ensured there were no missed calls, which meant people’s needs had been met in a timely manner and risks were appropriately managed. Audits of care plans and daily records ensured changes to people’s care plans were completed promptly so staff could provide consistent care to meet people’s needs.

The management team understood their responsibilities ensure ensured statutory notifications were appropriately submitted. They closely monitored accidents and incidents to ensure this requirement was met.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership with other services. They were a positive role model in their local community, having shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement rather than profit. For example, they had generously supported a number of local providers to implement new systems including electronic records and governance systems to improve the delivery of safe care in the local area. This support also had positive impacts on the provider’s own governance systems and digital implementation with ongoing benefits for people using the service.

The provider actively supported the local community. They regularly provided staff to attend and facilitate the running of a local coffee morning. This helped people to have more social opportunities and reduce isolation.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They actively contributed to the development of systems to improve the monitoring of people’s care and support.

The provider drove national improvements to care planning software. When reviewing available care planning systems, they identified shortfalls in body mapping and incident management systems. They worked with the developer to create incident records which required actions to be taken within set timescales. This ensured incidents were actively managed rather than passively recorded. These improvements were rolled out nationally to other provider’s using the system. The provider continued to review alternative systems available to ensure they had the most effective care planning system on the market.

The provider harnessed technology to benefit the service and the people who used it. They had created their own systems to identify potential trends in care records. The provider had written their own Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to review records and identify early signs of potential health conditions such as urine infections. This system was still being developed, but the ongoing aim was to help staff to identify concerns sooner in order to support people to promptly access relevant health and social care services to hopefully improve outcomes for people’s health and wellbeing.

The provider thought of creative solutions to problems. One person needed support with their finances from their family, but where their relative lived meant they were unable to do this. The provider utilised their systems which allowed the person’s family member to regularly upload money to a prepaid card. This helped to safeguard the person’s finances whilst supporting them to maintain their independence.

The provider continued to explore how technology could be of further benefit to people using the service. They were exploring if voice-enabled assistive technology could compliment human care through prompts and reassurance in-between care calls. They were still exploring this option with risks to be assessed and managed prior to implementation.