Highlands Care Solutions

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 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. The registered manager had a clear vision of how to sustainably grow the service without compromising safety and quality. This included taking on additional care packages gradually utilising the experience and knowledge of the senior leadership team, particularly in relation to complex health needs. The registered manager promoted a positive and inclusive ethos. For example, encouraging open communication, championing staff’s personal development, supporting external learning opportunities and embedding diversity and inclusion training. This demonstrated a proactive approach to engagement with staff to continuously improve and develop the culture of the service.

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. One staff member told us, “They (leaders) know the risks and teach how staff are to manage them and there is always training on this.” The registered manager was suitably qualified and experienced in their role. They retained oversight of the quality of care when away from the service through delegation of duties to senior staff. Senior staff had received appropriate training and ongoing development relevant to their roles. Staff told us leaders were visible, approachable and knowledgeable. Comments included, “We work as a team and that starts from the head of the service downwards” and “100% visible and just a phone call away and you can speak to [Registered Manager’s name] directly, really easy.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they felt comfortable and confident in speaking up and raising issues to leaders. The provider had a whistleblowing policy in place which was accessible to staff and staff were knowledgeable on what the policy included. The registered manager demonstrated an open approach in their engagement with staff and acted to address their concerns when received. One staff member told us, “I was happy that they listened to me and took action.”

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. For example, the provider had policies and procedures in place to support reasonable adjustments to staff’s working patterns to ensure staff were treated fairly and given appropriate support in their role. Staff confirmed the registered manager was approachable and fair to all staff and that they felt culture and diversity were recognised and celebrated by the provider. One staff member told us, “There are equal opportunities, no discrimination."

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability. The provider demonstrated good governance, using reliable information about risk, performance, and outcomes to inform decision-making and securely sharing this when appropriate. Leaders completed regular audits in key areas, such as care records, care plans and medicines records. This helped leaders identify any issues or emerging trends related to people’s care. The registered manager completed a comprehensive audit of the service which included visiting people in their own homes to gather their feedback about the service and care they received. This helped to ensure the provider had a robust overview of the quality of care. The provider took prompt action during the inspection to strengthen the recruitment record audit.

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. There was evidence of partnership working with key stakeholders, including commissioners, other professionals and other providers. For example, the provider made referrals to health and social care professionals when people’s needs changed, acting on their recommendations to adjust care where required. This helped to promote positive outcomes for people using the service. Professionals were positive about their collaboration with the provider and staff. Staff shared examples of how advice and guidance from the district nurses had enabled them to support people to manage their skin integrity effectively resulting in positive outcomes for people.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and engaged in research beyond their own service, collaborating with other professionals and organisations to advance research and drive good practice in various areas of healthcare. Importantly, they brought insights and learning from this wider research back to their own service to enhance care and outcomes. For example, in relation to inequalities in healthcare and access for people. There were action plans in place to detail how improvements would be made in response to feedback and findings from audits. Action plans were regularly reviewed to identify themes and trends and evaluate how effective the measures taken had been in driving improvement. The provider had recognised where improvements were needed and had taken action to address issues and concerns. This included implementing learning from complaints, incidents and feedback from staff.