Assist Care Group - Surrey

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 changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 89 (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 very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The service had an exceptional culture of kindness, openness, inclusion and continuous improvement. Staff described a supportive working culture and worked collaboratively to provide safe care. A staff member said, “I work closely with [the manager and nominated individual], who are both very dedicated to their roles.”

Leaders modelled integrity, compassion and accountability, creating psychological safety so staff felt valued, listened to and confident to speak up, The manager had the relevant skills, knowledge, and experience to effectively lead the service, which they did so with integrity. They promoted an open and transparent culture and used feedback, audits and monitoring to improve practice. A staff member said, “Effective leaders, like my own manager, in my opinion, has a blend of emotional intelligence, care knowledge, accountability, communication skills, and the capacity to make tough choices when needed. By exhibiting professionalism, respect, integrity, and a dedication to providing high-quality care, leaders should set an example for others to follow. [My manager] really sets a great example to me.”

The provider aimed to give people consistently good care, and staff worked effectively together to achieve this. The provider had a digital app all staff had access to, and this was instrumental in building a culture of transparency and sharing of success along with lessons learned.

Staff wellbeing and development were prioritised through flexible support, supervision, training and mental health resources, contributing to exceptional retention and continuity of care.

Equality and fairness were actively promoted within the organisation and across the wider sector, while feedback, learning and technology were used transparently to improve practice. This deeply embedded culture empowered staff to deliver highly responsive, compassionate and person-centred care that consistently upheld people’s dignity, individuality, choice and human rights.

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.

People and their relatives generally told us they received good quality care and spoke highly of the leadership team. One relative told us, “The managers always answer the phone and come out to see how things are.” Another relative said, “[The managers] are very good and I always get an answer, they respond quickly and they know [my relative’s] situation “

Leaders at the service had a clear focus and spoke passionately about providing good quality care. Staff received regular supervision, spot checks and competency assessments which helped them maintain safe and effective practice.

External professionals spoke positively about managers and praised their collaborative approach. They told us concerns were appropriately escalated and communication was effective. This promoted joined up working and helped ensure people received coordinated support when their needs changed.

The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The service had developed a highly open and transparent culture where staff felt confident, supported, and empowered to raise concerns or challenge practice without fear. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of how to speak up, including the option to do so anonymously if needed, and told us they would feel comfortable doing so.

The provider had developed a speak up initiative which provided a confidential email where staff could raise any concerns or ask for advice. This email was only linked to senior management so staff could raise concerns in a safe and confidential way. The speak up initiative also signposted staff directly to the local authority, ensuring staff and people had access to independent reporting routes where appropriate. The nominated individual told us, “We generated a separate email for staff and customers which is a speak email. It means they can raise an email on a confidential basis and only goes to [senior managers]. This makes it as easy as possible to raise concerns.” This inclusive approach ensured issues could be identified and addressed early, contributing to high-quality care and a positive working environment.

Staff spoke very positively about the provider, registered managers, and other leaders, describing them as approachable, communicative and genuinely committed to staff welfare. This helped embed a culture where people felt safe to speak up, raise concerns and contribute openly to improvements. Staff described a positive and approachable management style that encouraged honesty and open dialogue. One staff member said, “I feel lucky to have such supportive managers who genuinely care about staff and their well-being.”

Leaders actively promoted psychological safety and continuous improvement by encouraging staff to share ideas, feedback, and concerns. Staff records showed when staff had raised issues and what actions had been taken. We saw ‘you said, we did’ initiatives where the provider had taken prompt and clear action as a result of feedback. They openly shared the impact this had on practice.

The manager and nominated individual demonstrated a strong commitment to openness and accountability. They told us they worked to continually develop the speak up culture and make it as easy as possible for concerns to be raised and acted upon promptly. This approach helped to create an environment where staff felt empowered to speak up and contribute to improvements within the service.

We saw evidence staff had multiple opportunities to share feedback and discuss concerns. Regular staff meetings were held throughout the year and structured to maximise attendance, ensuring staff had access to information and opportunities to contribute. Staff had access to supervision and independent staff surveys, providing further opportunities to express their views.

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.

Leaders took action to improve disparities in the experience of staff with protected equality characteristics, and those from excluded and marginalised groups. We saw how the nominated individual had engaged at every level in local and national discussions and campaigns, to improve the outcomes and equity for staff. This included pertinent issues within the health and social care sector such as modern-day slavery, travel expenses and national minimum wage. Leaders were passionate about removing bias from practice to ensure equality of opportunity and experience for the workforce within their place of work, as well as the local and national community. The work and ongoing campaigning was helping to shape and improve the social care landscape, and interventions were monitored to evaluate their impact. For example, the provider had recently presented at a homecare event with providers from across the homecare sector. They talked about key areas of practice, such as record keeping and staff training. This meant that they supported ongoing growth within the sector at all levels, leading to better outcomes for people who use services.

The provider reviewed accountability on an ongoing basis through a robust review of policies and procedures. This helped to tackle structural and institutional discrimination and bias to achieve a fair culture for all. We heard how the nominated individual had championed equality across the sector and raised specific equity concerns with the local authority and beyond. This helped to raise awareness and affect change which positively impacted the workforce across the sector.

The provider promoted an inclusive and supportive working environment where staff felt valued and respected. Policies promoted equality and fairness. Staff consistently spoke positively about the culture of the service and described leaders as approachable, supportive and willing to listen to their views. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns and were confident they would be treated fairly. A staff member said, “Our manager has a "hands on" approach and is very aware of all issues that may arise. [They act] very quickly to any issues and will raise an event and ensure that it is followed through until a resolution is reached. [The manager] constantly checks on staffing issues, times of calls and any other issues raised by the staff or our customers.”

We saw evidence leaders sought feedback from staff through regular meetings and supervisions. Meetings were arranged across a range of dates and times to maximise attendance and ensure all staff had opportunities to participate regardless of their working patterns. The provider utilised an independent organisation to gather staff feedback, supporting an open and inclusive culture.

The provider demonstrated a commitment to supporting staff wellbeing and development. Staff had access to training, learning opportunities and wellbeing initiatives, and positive practice was recognised and celebrated. Staff described feeling supported by management and told us they were encouraged to contribute ideas and participate in the development of the service. For example, we saw that, when there were an increased number of falls noted across the organisation, the management team liaised directly with direct care staff to gather their thoughts and implement their feedback. The falls initiative meant that changes to policy were a direct result of staff voice and feedback.

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 service had highly effective governance systems in place to monitor, assess, and continually improve the quality and sustainability of care. A clear programme of audits was used to provide robust oversight, including regular internal checks and routine audits to drive learning and improvement across the organisation and local system.

There was strong oversight and accountability at all levels of the organisation. The active involvement of the nominated individual in quality assurance processes supported consistent standards and demonstrated a clear commitment to maintaining high-quality care. When speaking about governance, they told us, “Good practice should be easy. Poor practice should be visible. Mistakes should be impossible to hide.”

Findings from audits were used constructively to drive improvement and sustain positive outcomes for people. For example, we saw how findings relating to an identification of an increased number of falls had been promptly acted upon to improve outcomes for people using the service.

The service demonstrated good regulatory compliance. Statutory notifications were submitted promptly, reflecting a transparent and well-managed approach to meeting regulatory requirements.

The provider had developed software which created a bespoke dashboard to capture all the information they needed on a real time basis to review governance and quality. Leaders used this data to establish a culture of continuous improvement and learning, supported by effective monitoring systems and strong organisational support.

The provider ensured that there was a responsible person in work and allocated to provide leadership at all times, as opposed to having an ‘on-call’ system. This ensured leaders had effective real time oversight of the care without conflicting demands. This meant people received sustainable, responsive, and consistently high-quality, person-centred care.

The provider had comprehensive and detailed policies which were clearly embedded in day-to-day practice. These policies reflected current legislation, guidance and best practice, which supported staff to deliver safe, effective and high-quality care. The management team demonstrated clear leadership and oversight and promoted a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and openness.

This meant overall the provider’s governance and management systems were effective, well led and focused on delivering safe, high-quality care with a clear emphasis on continuous improvement and positive outcomes for people.

The provider understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider worked proactively with healthcare professionals, community organisations and local networks to improve people's wellbeing, independence and quality of life. We saw evidence of strong partnership working with system partners and received consistently positive feedback. One professional said, “[The manager] and team appear to have a good overview of the care they are providing. Their team appears well lead and organised.” They also told us, “They always have a timely update to give, raise concerns when needed and I feel reassured that people are being [cared for safely].”

Staff and leaders engaged with people, communities, and partners to share learning with each other that resulted in continuous improvements to the service. They use these networks to identify new and innovative ideas which led to better outcomes for people. For example, the provider was part of a national homecare network which met every 6 months to review practice and look at system wide themes and trends to continually improve and develop practice.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

The provider demonstrated a strong commitment to continuous learning, improvement and service development. Systems were in place to identify concerns, analyse trends and use learning to improve outcomes for people receiving care. We saw evidence incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns and medication errors were reviewed and used as opportunities to strengthen practice and reduce the risk of recurrence. This was particularly evident in quality and safety meetings which comprehensively reviewed all open events and categorised them to determine themes and trends. This helped the provider to take immediate and ongoing actions, as well as implement proactive and preventative measures to reduce the chance of reoccurrence.

The provider had a quality improvement plan in place and demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement, effective leadership oversight, and a focus on delivering safe, responsive and person‑centred care. They were open and transparent when things went wrong and apologised when it was necessary. We saw an example where the provider had identified, through their own systems, that their practice had fallen below the standards they expected for themselves. They promptly wrote to all staff and issued an apology, clearly explaining how they rectify the situation and make improvements on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, they openly notified all system partners and told them how they would continually learn and improve moving forward. This demonstrated a provider who was actively committed to contributing to safe, effective practice and research.

Feedback was viewed as an opportunity for learning and service improvement. Records showed the service addressed feedback in a responsive, understanding, and transparent way. The provider used an external company to gather feedback to ensure it was non-biased and gathered the voice of people. The nominated individual told us, “We contract with [an external company] so we have no control over the feedback moderation. They present us with the feedback. It is important so that we can have an accurate view of our feedback completed by a third party.”

Staff contributed to learning, improvement and innovation and were involved at every level. Meeting minutes evidenced collective problem solving and reflections of improvements and innovation. A staff member said, “The service involves everyone in developing the service by sending out regular surveys to gain feedback from both staff and [people]. This helps management to develop constructive improvements at their weekly management meetings.”

The service used technology in a responsible way to drive sustainable improvement. For example, they had linked all their online forms to policy which meant that staff were immediately linked to the action and response they should take in accordance with the relevant policy. The nominated individual told us, “For example, [if a staff member records], I'm at the front door with no reply. [the software automatically] tells them what the [relevant] policy snippet is. [It will ask], ‘have you done these things?’ It means the policy is embedded in a real situation.”

The provider had been working towards and was about to launch a piece of software which worked with electronic call monitoring data and local authority contractual requirements to monitor durations of stays in visits and identify National Minimum Wage and Working Time Directive compliance. This software built upon already established software and showed a commitment to continually improving outcomes across the organisation, and sector, at a local and wider community level. The nominated individual told us, “We are trying to pitch that with unions as well. Looking to solve the really difficult problem [around travel in home care]. [We are] looking for a really robust algorithm and script.” This demonstrated the providers passion for ensuring equitable outcomes and ultimately ensuring that people received the best possible care from a valued and well supported staff team.

The provider had been recognised through a number of local independent awards, including Home Care Provider of the Year and Innovation in Technology.