Care Matters (Homecare) Limited Stockton

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 leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 64 (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 did not always have a clear shared vision, strategy and culture which embraced all staff. We received mixed feedback from staff on the support they received and the sense of shared direction at the service. For example, one staff member said, “there’s always someone to talk to and I feel listened to” but another told us, “I feel like I’m never supported in any of my community work.” We spoke with the provider and registered manager about this, who said they would review how staff were involved in shaping the culture of the service.

Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. People and relatives told us they were familiar with leaders of the service and said they could be contacted with issues. One person said, “I’d be comfortable talking to them if I needed to.” We identified that improvements were needed in relation to staff support and shared culture, and the provider and registered manager started to review this before our assessment concluded.

Staff did not always feel they could speak up and that their voice would be heard. Records showed that when issues were raised they were acted on, but not all staff were confident that this would happen. We spoke with the provider and registered manager, who said they would work on improving this.

The provider did not consistently promote inclusion in their workforce. We received mixed responses from staff on whether they felt their feedback was welcome and acted on. The registered manager has already identified this as an issue, and when we spoke with them about it said they were considering ways to promote staff inclusion.

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. A range of audits was used to monitor and improve standards at the service. Though we identified some areas of improvement needed in the staff inclusion and culture, the registered manager took immediate action to review these.

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. Healthcare partners we spoke with did not raise any concerns about the service.

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. Regular training took place, and observations of staff practice took place to see if any further support or learning was needed.