Archived: PICAS Also known as Pathway Independent Care and Autism Services

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 the same. 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.

Staff were positive about the management of the service. We saw the registered manager had a good relationship with people and staff. Relatives were also complimentary of the service.

The registered manager told us they were available and had an open-door policy, which meant that people, families, and staff could speak to them. A relative told us, “Yes, I’ve got a good relationship with [registered manager] and we meet up when we need to. We communicate regularly; I can always contact them.” Another relative commented, “[Registered manager] is always in touch and keeps me up to date. They are very good with staff and responds straight away.”

The registered manager told us they felt supported by the provider and was in communication with them every day. They also told us that the provider had introduced a clinical senior manager who provided them with the relevant support when needed. They also felt they were given opportunities to help develop their knowledge and skills. We saw evidence that the registered manager received appropriate training for them to be able to conduct their role effectively.

The provider had an on-call system in place where staff could contact the registered manager for advice at any time.

During our visit, we received positive comments from staff regarding the registered manager. A staff member commented, “I feel supported in my role as a support worker. [The registered manager] provides regular feedback, guidance and essential training.” Another staff member said, “The manager puts clients and staff's health and safety first. If there is any concern, they act quickly.”

A whistleblowing policy was in place that included details on how to raise concerns both internally and externally, which allowed staff freedom to speak up. Staff feedback was also sought as part of supervisions and staff meeting.

Staff knew how to use the whistleblowing policy and understood their role and responsibilities of reporting concerns and knew who to go to if they needed to. A staff member told us, “I would report concerns to my manager or safeguarding team”. Another staff member said, “I will follow the reporting procedure byreportingto my manager andifnothing is done about it, I will usethe whistleblowingmethod to report it to the local authority.”

The registered manager told us how they had worked with staff to support them to feel confident to speak up if they wanted. The registered manager told us, “There are various ways to help ensuring that staff are able to feel confident to speak up. For example, we discussed this in staff meetings and staff supervisions. We also encourage staff to complete questionnaires on how they feel about the service and if they are able to communicate their concerns. I also test their knowledge regarding policies and procedures, this includes the organisations and local authorities policies and procedures.”

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The registered manager carried out a range of audits covering different areas such as on care plans, risk assessments, medicines, health and safety, incident management and complaints. An action plan was also completed if improvements were needed following audits. However, provider led audits were not being carried out. This was important to ensure there was greater oversight of the service and the registered manager was supported. We were informed that this would be put in place.

The registered manager showed us their completed audits, and improvement that had been put in place to help develop the service, as well as their plans going forward to make further improvements to the service.

Spot checks were carried out at supported living sites to ensure people were receiving safe care and staff were competent in their roles. A relative told us, “We do regular visits, and the manager does random checks. [Person] is happy when we visit.”

Staff told us that they held regular staff meetings, which helped them to give feedback regarding improvements that where required. Records confirmed this.

Staff told us they liked working for the organisation. A staff told us, “We have regular meetings with our manager, where we discuss outcomes from audits, which helps to improve the service.” Another staff said, “There are plenty of training available for me, and I feel heard in my team.”

Quality monitoring systems were in place. Surveys and meetings had been carried out to get feedback to ensure there was a system to make improvements following feedback. A relative told us, “Yes, we go to all meetings and [registered manager] is also there. We have to fill in a feedback form yearly and they ask us every time we visit how things are.” Another relative commented, “Yes, definitely. Whenever I’ve asked for things to change, they are very open and make changes immediately.”

The registered manager and staff told us they worked in partnership with health and social professionals to ensure people were in the best of health at all times.

Partners we sought feedback from were positive about the service. Records showed the service worked in partnership with social and health professionals to ensure people received safe and effective support. A relative told us, “They’ve managed to take [person] to medical centres, which we could never do. [Person] has had blood tests whilst being awake and doctor’s appointments, which we never thought was possible."