Life Care Plus Hillingdon

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. The provider had developed a mission statement which identified the philosophy and priorities of the service, how they work to ensure care was provided in a safe manner and people were supported appropriately. The registered manager explained that through the induction for new care workers, regular supervision and team meetings they discussed the philosophy of the service and how that influences how care is provided. A care worker commented, “I feel we have good bond with staff and manager, there are no problems. They are flexible with the staff when there are emergencies and need to take last minute leave. It’s the same if families want us to support them more, last minute, the care manager always tries to help them.”

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.
Care workers told us they felt supported by the senior staff with their comments including, “I love how organised the care plans are, how understanding the manager is. How supportive the team leader is. They give us whatever we need, organise the rota etc” and “They are very nice, good. They are very supportive; we always go to them.” The registered manager was supported by a care manager, care coordinators and senior care workers.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The registered manager confirmed there was a whistleblowing policy and procedure to support care workers to raise any concerns. Information on how care workers could raise concerns was included in the staff handbook and discussed during induction, supervision and team meetings. Care workers confirmed they understood the whistleblowing policy and were confident to raise concerns. A care worker said, “We would raise them with the line manager and follow the policy.”

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 registered manager told us, “We are committed to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We achieve this through inclusive recruitment practices that actively encourage applications from diverse backgrounds, advertising in diverse communities, working with local community organisations.” Care workers said they felt supported, and a care worker commented, “As I said before I am happy with the manager and the team leader and the support they provide. They are always there to help and guide us.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. The provider had developed a range of quality assurance checks and audits to monitor how the service was performing. The provider had a contingency plan in place which identified any actions which should be taken if an issue occurred which impacted the way care was provided. If an incident occurred or a complaint received the registered manager, and the care manager identified actions to take to improve the service and these were shared with care workers.

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 with a range of healthcare and other professionals to ensure people received the support they needed. The registered manager said, “We work in partnership with a range of external organisations to provide comprehensive support to the people we serve. These include local GP practices, community nurses, social services, hospitals, day centres, advocacy services, religious organisations.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. People and care workers were regularly asked for their feedback on the service and how the care was provided. People and relatives could also provide feedback
during the regular reviews and directly to the senior staff. The provider had developed a range of policies and procedures which were regularly reviewed so they reflected best practice and these could be accessed by care workers, so they updated on current legislation. The provider supported care workers and other staff to complete a number of training courses to ensure care workers were up to date on best practice so they could meet people’s support needs in a safe and appropriate manner.