Carestaff Solutions

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 provider had a vision to provide safe and person-centred support in the community, making sure that packages were tailored to people’s needs and preferences, and made a positive impact to their lives. Aims included matching staff to people they supported and making sure staff had the right skills, knowledge and competencies to complement their role.

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.

Leaders were specialists in different areas of practice and were supported by a clinical lead. The managers all had previous experience of working in the care sector and some had worked for the company for several years. Leaders were heavily involved in the day to day running of the service and had good awareness of issues that affected people and staff. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities regarding the duty of candour.

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

The provider had a whistleblowing policy and staff were welcomed to the office on a regular basis for informal discussions. Staff confirmed they felt confident about raising concerns and would be listened to.

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 had appropriate policies and procedures. For example, regarding recruitment of staff to make sure equality and diversity principles were upheld. Staff felt they were treated equally and did not need to report any concerns; they were confident they would be listened to if they did have concerns.

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 business plan, and contingency planning was in place.

The managers used an electronic system to help them monitor quality of care. For example, they could make sure staff had arrived at their care calls on time and stayed for the correct length of time. They conducted spot checks at people’s home to make sure tasks were completed as per people’s support plans and that people were satisfied.

The registered manager conducted regular audits including care plan audits and medicine audits. The leaders were aware of their responsibilities regarding the duty of candour and made statutory notifications to relevant bodies which is their legal responsibility to do so.

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 reported positive working relationships with the local authority and received positive feedback following their contract monitoring. There were good links within the vicinity and local businesses knew staff and the people they supported well, which supported them to feel included within the local community.

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.

Leaders were committed to keeping up to date with current practice and guidance.

The provider was linked in with the local authority to make sure they were up to date with any new projects and pilots. Managers attended webinars and conferences and participated in forums to share good practice with registered managers of similar services.