Genuine Carers - Oxford City

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.

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 demonstrated a clear shared vision, strategy, and positive culture. This was underpinned by principles of transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, and inclusion. There was a strong focus on engagement and on understanding the challenges and needs of people and their communities.

A positive, person‑centred culture was evident throughout the service. People using the service, their relatives, and staff consistently reported feeling respected and valued, and they described the service as well managed.

Staff feedback reflected a supportive and collaborative working environment. One staff member commented, “Management are cooperative and the whole team are nice and supportive. They will show you how to do things and help you if you need it.”

The provider’s vision and values were clearly based on compassionate care. Feedback received from stakeholders was positive and indicated that people using the service, relatives and staff were consistently happy with the quality of care and support provided. Leaders at all levels consistently reflected the provider’s values, encouraging openness, learning, and continuous improvement across the service.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which care, treatment, and support were delivered. Leaders embodied the culture and values of both the organisation and its workforce, promoting a positive and supportive working environment.

Leaders had the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and credibility to lead effectively. They demonstrated integrity and were open and honest in their approach.

People using the service and their relatives described managers as approachable and kind. Staff also spoke positively about leadership, with comments including, “I feel valued,” “There is always someone on call and they are really helpful to carers,” and “They treat me well, they listen, and they walk me through what I need to do.”

The provider demonstrated a strong understanding of person‑centred care and ensured staff had appropriate guidance and support to deliver care in line with people’s individual needs.

The provider fostered a positive culture in which people felt confident to speak up and believed their views would be listened to and acted upon. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns and felt confident doing so, with reassurance that any issues raised would be appropriately addressed.

Staff were aware of whistleblowing arrangements. The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place, with a clear process for staff to follow if they needed to raise matters formally under whistleblowing procedures.

The provider valued diversity within its workforce and worked towards creating an inclusive and fair culture. Equality and equity for staff were actively promoted, supporting a respectful and inclusive working environment.

Staff received equality, diversity, and inclusion training as part of their ongoing training within the service. Staff told us they felt they were treated fairly.

The provider had an equality policy in place, and its policies and procedures supported an inclusive culture where both people using the service and staff were respected and their differences recognised and celebrated.

People were supported by a diverse staff team that reflected the local community, which helped to promote understanding, inclusion, and person‑centred care.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability, and effective governance arrangements. These were used to manage and deliver good‑quality, sustainable care, treatment, and support.

The provider acted on the best available information relating to risk, performance, and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service.

Regular audits were completed to monitor all aspects of service delivery. These were reviewed and analysed by the registered manager and the provider, with findings used to drive service improvement and shared with the wider staff team. Improvements were identified and promptly acted upon.

Managers had a good oversight of the service and carried out reviews and unannounced checks to ensure staff provided good‑quality care. Suitable policies and procedures were in place, which reflected current guidance and legislation.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, ensuring services were delivered seamlessly for people. Information and learning were shared with partners to support continuous improvement.

People were supported by a range of health and social care professionals to ensure their needs were met, and referrals were made to relevant health professionals when required. The provider shared information appropriately to promote effective, and joined‑up working.

Records demonstrated effective collaboration with external professionals and families while keeping the person at the centre of their care and support. The provider was a member of the Oxford Association of Care Providers, which supports partnership working, access to resources, regulatory compliance, service improvement, and positive outcomes for the adults they support.

The provider demonstrated a strong focus on continuous learning, improvement, and innovation across the organisation and the local system. They encouraged creative and innovative approaches to delivering equality of experience, outcomes, and quality of life for people.

A positive learning culture had been developed within the service. Information and learning were shared with staff through meetings, group communication updates, and supervision sessions. Staff undertook regular training and told us the registered manager supported them to develop their skills and learn from best practice.

A regular internal quality assurance audit process was in place to review key areas of the service. Incidents and accidents were analysed to identify themes and trends, with actions taken to drive improvement. Learning from disciplinary processes, complaints, safeguarding concerns, and quality monitoring was shared with staff to ensure it was understood and embedded across the service.

Staff confirmed that incidents were investigated appropriately by the registered manager. An electronic call management system was used to monitor staff attendance at calls, enabling concerns such as lateness to be identified promptly and followed up to support safe and reliable care delivery.