Routes Healthcare Preston

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 79 (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 of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities. The providers values were based around 'home is where the heart is.' Heartfelt, Open, Meaningful and Empowering. Letters were sent to staff acknowledging when they were meeting these standards. Staff showed a good knowledge of these values and were able to give examples where they had shown the values in their working practice. One staff member said, “[The values] guide carers to act with kindness, follow ethical standards, respect individual’s rights, and provide safe, effective support.” People told us they were always treated with kindness and felt their rights were protected.

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. The registered manager led by example, interacted personably and flexibly with people who used the service and found solutions to challenges. The registered manager was passionate about the service and keen to ensure people received good quality care and support. One relative said, “I know the management, they are always happy to speak to me and very easy to get hold of I have all the contact numbers. I have no concerns with the company and would and have recommended them.” One person said, “I know the management by name only, I am very happy with the company I think they could do with more staff at weekends as sometimes they seem to struggle, I would recommend the company.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff felt comfortable raising concerns with the registered manager, knowing they would listen to them, be fair and proportionate and take appropriate actions to resolve them. Staff had access to the whistle blowing policy and felt able to use the process.

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. For example, staff had access to a flexible working policy and consideration was given to staff who required extra flexibility around their working pattern. Staff felt the provider took on board workforce equality and put processes in place to adhere to them.

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’s quality assurance processes continuously monitored the service. This ensured issues were identified and appropriate actions taken to address any concerns. We saw a range of audits were completed to ensure the service operated in line with the providers policies and expectations. For example, the audit of medication administration records showed where issues had been identified, and swift action taken to mitigate the risk. The provider had a clear business continuity management plan which gave details of actions to take in emergency situations to ensure business continuity.

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. External professionals were positive about the way the service worked in collaboration. One external professional said, “They [Routes Healthcare] communicate well with us and always seem to be willing to make improvements where necessary.” Routes Healthcare partnered with an external training company to bring staff fully funded training opportunities to develop their skills and advance their health and social care career.

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. External professionals were positive about the way the service worked in collaboration. One external professional said, “They [Routes Healthcare] communicate well with us and always seem to be willing to make improvements where necessary.” Routes Healthcare partnered with an external training company to bring staff fully funded training opportunities to develop their skills and advance their health and social care career.

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. Opportunities were taken to learn and improve the service. Since our last inspection, the provider had continued to maintain good standards. The registered manager was committed to continually change and develop the service based on feedback and lessons learnt. Action plans were in place to address any issues identified through audits, accidents and complaints. Each safeguarding, accident and incident occurrence was analysed to find the root cause and practice was changed to reflect improvements.