TogetherCare

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 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 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.

Managers and staff described a shared commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care. Together with professionals, we were shown a passion shared by everyone to support people with their independence, and if safe to do so, support people to stay at home and avoid hospital admission. This included late night phone calls to the registered manager for urgent support.

Staff told us there was an open and supportive culture, with an open-door policy at the office and regular contact with managers. This meant staff felt able to raise concerns or share ideas through informal discussions and routine supervision.

Staff enjoyed working at this service and were proud of the work they did. Staff told us they would recommend this service to both people requiring support and as a place to work.

The provider supported staff’s equality and diversity, for example, through shifts allowing staff time off for religious festivals and support for staff to work around family responsibilities. There was an equality and diversity policy in place to guide practice in this area.

Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and committed to achieving positive outcomes for people. They maintained oversight of the service through regular communication with staff, care reviews, and ongoing monitoring of care delivery. As the service continued to grow, the provider had a vision and a plan of how they would continue to have oversight. 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.

Managers were knowledgeable, compassionate and understood the needs of the people they supported. Staff described the managers as approachable, responsive and supportive, saying they could call them at any time and would always receive help.

Managers were committed to modelling positive values and inclusive practice; they knew people well and ensured staff were matched carefully to people with shared interests or compatible communication styles.

Feedback from staff and professionals was positive. One professional told us, “I have found [registered manager] very supportive and available at all times even out of hours. He goes out of his way to ensure that the support is put in place. He is very helpful, friendly and any issues he has dealt with immediately. He comes across as a very caring person who wants to help people to keep safe and provide support for them”. Another professional who speaks to people, relatives and stakeholders to gather feedback told us that, “[Registered manager] has often been singled out as someone who is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that people are receiving a good service. He is very hands on and makes himself available at all times”.

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

Staff were encouraged to raise concerns, share ideas and contribute to service development. We saw evidence that the provider sought feedback from staff through meetings, direct communication and feedback mechanisms. Different approaches were used to enable staff to provide feedback in a way that they felt comfortable, for example, staff could share concerns with a nominated peer who would raise all concerns confidentially during meetings. Meeting minutes demonstrated staff were given opportunities to discuss challenges and suggest improvements.

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.Management demonstrated flexibility in responding to individual staff circumstances, including accommodating personal circumstances where possible.Staff we spoketosharedwith us examples of how their personalsituations had been supported.

The registered manager had included employment supportintothe service improvement action plan and was looking at ways staff could be supported further.

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.

The provider had a large management team which ensured that a senior member of staff had dedicated responsibilities which strengthened the leadership and oversight.

There was regular oversight of the service through spot checks, regular supervisions and audits.

The registered manager recognised their responsibilities under the duty of candour requirements and followed the service’s policies and procedures. Where required, the provider had shared information with relevant external stakeholders.

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.

Partnership working was a clear strength of the service. We observed effective collaboration with a range of external stakeholders, which included social workers, healthcare professionals and local authority colleagues. Professionals were all eager to share their feedback of both the registered manager, the staff and the service which they provided. Professionals described the service as a “trusted provider”. One professional said, “Together Care have worked collaboratively with us, other agencies and health professionals involved in this [persons] care, ensuring any identified specific staff training needs to meet this [persons] needs have been delivered”.

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 registered manager was passionate about improving the service for the people accessing it. They were actively looking at accreditation schemes, and staff support programmes to improve staff well-being. The registered manager disclosed their biggest challenge was reaching every corner of the organisation, ‘leaving no stone un-turned’, ensuring that everyone is happy, from service users, to staff, relatives and professionals.