Lavender Care Agency Ltd

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 68 (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.

Staff were aware of and adhered to the provider’s vision and culture. An open culture was encouraged that adhered to the duty of candour. Staff were committed to providing a personalised service that respected people’s individual differences.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care 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.

An experienced registered manager was in place. They were approachable and accessible. The registered manager also delivered hands on care so knew people using the service well and worked with the care staff team. This enabled them to have a greater understanding as to the challenges of the care worker role and use this knowledge to improve and develop service provision.

Care workers, people and relatives told us they had a good relationship with the registered manager. A relative told us, the registered manager was “very good and approachable.” Relatives confirmed there was regular communication from the registered manager and felt they were kept well informed and updated as to their family member’s care.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Care staff felt able to speak up and were encouraged to speak openly when discussing things with the registered manager.

A whistleblowing policy was in place. However, the service did not have a freedom to speak up guardian in place at the time of our assessment. The registered manager informed us they would evaluate as to who was best placed to take this independent role to ensure staff felt supported to speak up.

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. Staff diversity was welcomed at the service. Equality and diversity policies were in place to ensure staff were safe to work in an environment that was free from discrimination.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

A regular programme of spot checks were undertaken to review the quality and safety of care delivery. These checked that people received their care and support as planned, and staff adhered to the provider’s policies and procedures. Some of the provider’s policies needing slight amendments to aid clarity of information. The registered manager was receptive to this feedback and made the amendments during our site visit.

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 the local authority, other health professionals, care staff, people and relatives to gather their views about the service and share learning and suggestions to improve the service.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system.

The provider welcomed ideas and suggestions for improvement and service development. They attended local skills for care groups and provider forums to share learning and continue to develop and implement best practice guidance at the service. The provider had invested in an electronics care records system to continue to support service development and ensure accurate record keeping and oversight of the service.