Primrose Healthcare Services Limited

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 as 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 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.

All people and relatives we spoke with were complimentary of the service they received. One person told us, “Carers do a platinum job; I always recommend to other people. I give them 100%.” A relative said, “Very glad I chose Primrose. I feel happy that [family member] is well looked after in his own home. Now I can sleep at night without worry.”

There was a clear ethos within the service of delivering good quality care which all staff members strived to demonstrate. One staff member told us, “Primrose delivers a high standard of person-centred care that focuses on dignity, independence and well-being overall. Primrose aims to ensure that people feel listened to, valued and supported.” Another staff member added, “The service is like a family. We care for each other. The manager cares for the staff and the clients.” The registered manager told us the service was held in high regard within the local area. They said, “We want to be known as a family caring agency.”

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.

Overall, staff were complimentary of the management team. One staff member said,” As an employer, they’ve been supportive to me. You can always learn from an experienced manager, and she supports me and makes me confident and knowledgeable.” Another staff member added, “The management team is very supportive and always help us to solve problem.” Some staff members informed us the registered manager had supported them to work towards additional qualifications.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff were aware of who they were able to speak up to if needed. One staff member said, “I know I can whistle blow if I have concerns about safety, abuse, or poor practice.” Another staff member told us, “I know I can raise concerns with staff or management. If I notice the concern not being addressed internally, then I understand I can get in touch with external bodies such as local safeguarding authority or CQC. I am aware of this through my training and it’s also discussed in team meetings.” This protected people and staff from the risk of discrimination and abuse.

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.

People felt having a diverse team of staff added value to their care. One person explained to us, “I have a great diversity of staff visiting, which makes my life more interesting chatting about each other's ways of doing things.”

A diverse workforce was encouraged by the management team in order to meet people’s varying care needs. The registered manager told us, “During our recruitment we ensure we build a mixture of backgrounds in our workforce, as for example one person may need a Punjabi speaking worker.” This supported the provider to meet people’s specific religious, communication or cultural requests.

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.

We observed regular audits were completed in different areas of care delivery, such as medicines and care notes. These ensured any shortfalls or areas for improvement were identified and resolved in a timely manner. The registered manager told us, “We have a dashboard that we use to audit all the time. We check if there’s any DBS or right to work checks due.” The deputy manager added, “We do any audits together so it’s a team approach.”

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.

Staff worked alongside a variety of external professionals to provide holistic care to people. This included the local authority, district nurses, occupational therapists and local day centres. This ensured people received additional support and care for their health and wellbeing where needed.

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.

The provider gathered feedback from people and their relatives to establish how they felt about the quality of the care they received. One person told us, “I speak with the [registered] manager. They’re very nice, always asks how I am and asks how everything is going for me and if I have any problems with my care.” Another person said, “The [registered] manager rings up now and again for a progress report. I cannot fault them, it's as good as it could be.” In some cases, this had led to a change in the care the person was receiving. For example, one person told us when they started receiving care from the provider, they had accepted a later time slot for one of the care visits. However, they found this did not personally work for them. They spoke with the management team who were able to change it to an earlier visit. They told us this suited their personal circumstances better and had improved their day-to-day experience of the care.

Staff were also encouraged to provide their feedback and were consulted in changes to the service. One staff member told us, “Once I suggested for my client to change her chair into more comfortable reclining chair because of pressure sore and it was changed.” Another staff member added, “I have made recommendations and given feedback to my manager several times and they have been implemented, which makes me feel heard and seen.”We observed staff had been involved in discussions and decisions around a change of payment dates for staff salaries. While not all staff were in unanimous agreement, everyone had been given the opportunity to express their feelings and discuss this with the management team.