Aspire Care Services Ltd

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 inspection 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.

At the last inspection the service was in breach of regulation 17 good governance. At this inspection, enough progress had been made, and the service was no longer in breach of this regulation.

This service scored 71 (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.

Since the last CQC inspection, the registered manager had worked hard to improve the service to better support people with their health and care needs. The service worked closely with the local authority to achieve improvement.

Staff told us they felt there was a culture of collaboration with the management team. This was realised through regular supervisions and staff meetings and staff group chats.

There was a comprehensive catalogue of training that staff had to attend. This ensured people were supported by people who had relevant training and competency checks. Leaders had demonstrated an understanding of how to keep people safe, work with external partners to improve the care and treatment.

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 told us they thought the registered manager had the experience and skills to manage the service effectively. Staff told us they were well supported by leaders. One staff member said, “I am able to contact the office and managers if I need support with my well-being.” Another staff member told us, “We have good team communication, and can access training and support when needed. [Management] will listen to my concerns and provide support when needed.”

The provider had safe recruitment processes in place, to ensure people were supported by staff safe and able to do so. Audits, reviews, spot checks, supervisions and service policies all worked to keep people safe at the service, and ensure people received care with the risk of avoidable harm reduced.

We received feedback from people about the management of the service as follows, “I don’t know who the registered manager is, but I feel the management of the agency is well under control”. “The odd occasion I’ve spoken to office staff with positive results”. “I would confidently recommend Aspire Care Services Ltd, based on my experiences with the [staff] so far”.

A relative said, “The management and office staff are all good. If I have any complaints, I can always call the office up and the experience is usually positive. I’ve never raised any formal complaints. I would recommend Aspire Care Services Ltd in confidence. All the [staff] are lovely and have done a good job for us.”

“We have a good relationship with management and office staff. They are brilliant even after office hours. I think the company is well run by management. I would highly recommend Aspire Care Services Ltd word of mouth, as all the [staff] are so professional in what they do.”

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

Staff told us they were actively encouraged to speak up to share ideas or concerns, in staff meetings, supervisions or in the staff chat as required. Some staff told us they were able to speak directly to the registered manager.

The service had a whistleblowing policy in place. This advised staff on their rights to speak up and gave details of external agencies they could contact if they did not feel comfortable speaking to internal management.

We reviewed minutes of meetings which evidenced staff were given an opportunity to share ideas and concerns.

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.

Staff told us they were treated fairly, and there were no concerns about their own treatment or that of their colleagues. Staff told us they thought their workplace was fair and inclusive, and they had access to support as required.

Staff told us they were confident if they raised a concern with the registered manager, that this would be investigated appropriately.

Staff told us they had no concerns in relation to being treated fairly, or with bullying and harassment.

All staff had received training in bullying and harassment.

The provider did not always ensure they gathered the best information from people to thoroughly assess all their support needs.

At the last inspection we found the management and leadership of the service was inconsistent. People did not always receive care and support that was as robust as it could have been. The registered manager did not have good oversight and monitoring of the service, and audits were not robust. This meant the provider was in breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014. At this assessment, while we have found some improvement is still required, enough improvement has been made, and the provider is no longer in breach of this regulation.

The management team had governance systems in place, however these were not always effective in identifying and addressing areas requiring improvement. Governance processes had failed to identify the concerns found during the assessment relating to care plans and environmental risk assessments. We saw no evidence the quality of care people received had suffered as a result. However, it meant the systems in place did not always provide ensure records contained sufficient detail to inform staff how to support people effectively.

The provider had not identified that emergency contact information was not readily accessible to staff in the event of an emergency. This issue was only addressed after it was highlighted during the assessment. Concerns that some staff were not consistently using PPE in line with infection prevention and control procedures had also not been identified.

demonstrating a lack of proactive oversight. The concerns found were discussed with the registered manager, to advised measures would be put in place to address and rectify. However it did demonstrate that improvements were required in relation to governance to ensure all risks were identified and addressed timely.

The service had robust policies and business continuity plans in place. Policies supported staff to safeguard people from the risk of avoidable harm, and people’s feedback supported this was effective. The registered manger was aware of the duty to submit required statutory and regulatory notifications to CQC and/ or the local authority as required to safeguard people.

People told us they were happy with the management of Aspire Care Services Ltd. One person said, “I know management and office staff are available, but I’ve never spoken to them to complain about anything. I would recommend Aspire Care Services Ltd base on three years of using them."

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.

We saw evidence to support the service worked well with GP’s, pharmacies, physiotherapists and the local authority to ensure people were supported with their health care needs as required. Staff told us they were confident working with health care professionals to ensure people received the care and support needed as required.

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 had a good understanding of how to improve the service, to ensure people received continuous good quality care.

All staff completed an induction at the beginning on their employment. They received ongoing training and supervision sessions to ensure their competence in supporting people well remained up to date and relevant.

The provider offered a wide range of training courses. Records we reviewed supported staff had received a wide range of training supporting them to meet people’s needs.

The registered manager told us the aim was to continually improve the service. This would be done through ongoing training for all staff from those who delivered care to staff who worked in the office. This would ensure joint understanding of good care, and aid people to continually receive good support.