One Step South Domiciliary Care Agency

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 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 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. There was a strong culture promoting people’s choices, independence and rights as equals in their own care. Opportunities were actively sought and taken to involve people in their own care, and their voice was used to coproduce care around peoples wishes and goals for the future. Staff spoke highly of the teams they worked with and knowledgeable about the challenges faced by the people they supported. One staff member told us “I’m proud to work in this service, and our have worked hard to get to where we currently are. We focus steps to independence, and every member of our team plays a contributing factor to helping people on their journey”. There was a culture of openness and integrity where people and their relatives felt engaged and involved in all steps in their care journey, and were treated with respect and inclusion. One relative explained “Yes, they involve me in care planning and decisions about my loved one’s care. When I voice any concerns, they liaise with me openly and we work to find a solution together. My voice is heard, and is that of my loved one.”

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. Leaders had a strong understanding of the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture (RSRCRC) and had embedded this with the staff team, to put people’s independence, rights and freedoms at the heart of the care being provided.

We received strong positive feedback on how staff led by example and had supported and enabled their staff team to grow and thrive together. One staff member told us “I’ve been given lots of opportunities which I’m really grateful for. I voice my concerns if needed and feel completely comfortable in going higher if needed but never need to. I am challenged, which in my role every day which is exactly what I want”. Another staff member explained “The registered manager is the best manager I have ever had. Always there to talk decisions through with or offer support when needed. They empower me to do whatever is needed to support people”.

Partner organisations reflected that leaders acted with integrity and openness to advocate for and support people. One stakeholder told us, “I have had excellent engagement from the management team, with whom I’ve had frequent and constructive communication.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. All people felt that they were actively listened to and were knowledgeable about the options they could use to speak up if they wished to do so. There were a wide variety of routes for staff to share any concerns in ways that were safe and supportive, including through supervisions, team meetings, informal conversations or designated whistleblowing hotline. One staff member told us “Team meetings happen regularly, and we can always request these if you just want a chat about something that might be worrying you. Staff are always kept updated about what is happening.” Another staff member told us, “The communication culture really works for me. We have a culture where can raise your opinion without being targeted. I have learned a lot, management make things easier for us.”

The provider strongly valued diversity in their workforce. They had an inclusive and fair culture which had improved equality and equity for people who worked for them.All staff had undertaken training in equality and diversity, and the provider promoted inclusivity throughout their services including events such as Pride which showed solidarity with staff and people from all backgrounds. Where people needed adjustments to work to support them with personal circumstances, they reflected that management stood alongside them throughout this and supported them. One staff member told us, “Management are very compassionate. They help me access personal leave when I need it. I haven’t had this with many employers. I’m proud of the team I work with.”

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. There was a strong and robust governance process in place which ensured clear oversight of the care being delivered, which was used to continually identify areas for improvement and drive forward ongoing quality improvement. There were regular audits and checks around health and safety, medications, accidents and incidents, staffing levels and competence, among other areas. There were detailed systems and staffing structures in place at all levels to ensure there was clear accountability and leadership. Business continuity plans were in place that were comprehensive and covered all likely scenarios that could impact delivery of services, with detailed plans of how the service would respond in each eventuality.

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 fostered strong links with their wider community to ensure people received the care and treatment they need, which was coproduced with people at their heart. There were close and collaborative relationships between the service and partners which were based on trust and openness. One stakeholder told us, “I truly appreciate the collaborative approach between ourselves and this service. The team are knowledgeable and helpful, and always keeping the best interests of the person we support at the forefront of everything they do.” Another professional who worked the service explained, “We recently visited and met most of the tenants in the 2 houses and they all seemed happy with the support which they received , and the control they had in their lives. Management are always making changes in the best interests of the service users to promote independence.”

Leaders actively participated in their local community to advocate for their values, and give people with a learning disability or who are autistic a voice and ability to be part of wider society. For example, management had recently attended a local school supporting young people with a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND) to share information about supported living, and help people consider and make decisions for the future about living with independence in adulthood. The provider had also launched a local community disco which was being attended by a large number of people including those supported by other care providers or living in their own homes, to give opportunity for people to make life affirming and positive social connections in their community and beyond.

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. There was clear focus on learning at the service, with robust auditing processes and analysis of incidents and accidents used to proactively identify learning. We saw there were regular meetings between managers of the different supported living services operated by the provider, which identified what was working well and areas for improvements. Managers conducted “secret shopper” visits to each other’s services to identify opportunities for further improvement and to share learning, which was alongside regular visits by the registered manager. There were clear plans for development including action plans which showed that areas of improvement were being regularly identified, reviewed and recorded when completed.

The provider ensured there were regular focused sessions on topical areas relevant to people with a learning disability and autistic people, to allow knowledge and best practice to be shared down by managers into their teams. One member of the management team explained “We always have the support to do our job, and are able to access training if anybody develops additional needs. I think there is great joint working between the CareTech services. For example, we have had recent awareness raising sessions covering bowel health and sepsis to allow us to upskill our staff.” Staff we spoke to echoed they felt empowered to be able to access the training and knowledge they needed to support people safely and in line with evolving best practice. One staff member told us, “The training is really good right from the start, we have regular opportunities to develop. If there’s any training I think I need to be able to do my job safely and keep growing, this is always available if we ask.”