Blue River Home Care Waltham Abbey Also known as Blue River Home Care Greater London

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 inspection 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 service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion. The service focused on staff engagement with people and their communities gaining an understanding of their needs. The registered manager told us they had worked hard to change the structure and processes within the service to drive improvements. The registered manager told us, “I have worked extremely hard to change our processes to ensure they are more robust, and we now have effective and efficient systems in place.” The registered manager had clear values and had developed a listening culture where staff felt they were available for them to talk to.

The service 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 was clear about their role and had the skills, knowledge and experience to perform their job. The registered manager told us they regularly read guidance and kept up to date with any changes. Examples included updates from CQC, the local safeguarding authority and professional bodies.

The registered manager told us, “I have been working extremely hard since our last inspection and worked through an action plan to ensure we have met all previous actions.”
There was a clear staffing structure in place with 2 senior leads supporting the registered manager with the day to day running of the service. A person told us, “The manager is very approachable and accommodating.” A relative told us, “The manager is running the service well and is approachable, and I have no issues raising any concerns with them. If I ever have raised something, it has always been dealt with.”
 

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and have their voices heard. The registered manager had a policy and processes in place to support staff in raising concerns through whistleblowing procedures.

The registered manager also held regular discussions with people to gain their views on how the service was run, the support they received and whether any improvements could be made. A member of staff told us, “We have regular meetings and supervisions with the manager, which is a good opportunity for us to discuss anything with them.”

The registered manager had also completed a staff survey to gather feedback from the workforce. The results had been analysed and discussed with staff, and lessons learned were identified to inform service improvements. This demonstrated a commitment to listening to staff feedback and using it to support the ongoing development of the service.
 

The service valued diversity in their workforce. The provider worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. There was a policy in place to protect staff from harassment and bullying and a focus on protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The registered manager had developed an inclusive workforce and recognised the value of diversity amongst the team.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and governance arrangements in place. These were used to monitor the quality and safety of the service and support ongoing improvements. Since the last inspection in January 2026, improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of regulations.

The registered manager had good oversight of the service. A number of new audits had been introduced to strengthen quality assurance and identify areas for development. These included monthly audits of recruitment records, care documentation, medicines, incidents and staff training compliance. Where issues were identified, action plans were developed and progress monitored to ensure improvements were made and sustained.

The service acted on information relating to risk, performance and outcomes and shared information appropriately and securely when required. The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour, including being open and honest when things went wrong and ensuring incidents were investigated. Statutory notifications were submitted promptly to relevant authorities when required, including CQC and the local authority safeguarding team.

The registered manager had communicated a clear vision and direction for the service. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities in maintaining the improvements made and spoke positively about the direction of the service and their contribution to maintaining good standards of care.
 

The service 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 registered manager had developed good links and worked closely with health professionals. This included GPs, district nurses, occupational therapists and social workers. A health professional told us, “I have worked with Blue River home care over the past 5 years, with one client specifically they have been very informative and responsive to emails, attending joint visits and providing information promptly upon request. The manager has been the main contact when dealing with client queries and has been very efficient.”

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and wider system. They encouraged creative approaches to promote equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people. The service had learned lessons from the previous inspection and taken action to drive improvements and enhance outcomes. A positive learning culture was embedded throughout the service. Learning from incidents, accidents, safeguarding concerns and complaints was shared with staff to drive continuous improvement and enhance the quality of care provided.

The registered manager was actively supporting staff with learning and innovative ways of working at the service. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and were supported to obtain nationally recognised qualifications. One member of staff said, “I have completed lots of training including the care certificate when I first started and continue to do regular trainings. There are always opportunities for growth and development.”