Newlink Care 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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 62 (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 culture. The registered manager and staff worked collaboratively with relevant healthcare services to ensure delivery of care. A clear management structure was in place. Staff had clear roles and responsibilities and were informed of their roles and reporting arrangements. Staff spoke positively about the management of the service. A staff member told us, “We are supported by a team leader and the manager, and everyone is willing to share ideas and experiences with each other if you need any support. Everyone is always willing to help you and we all work together.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills and knowledge to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. During this assessment, we found the registered manager and nominated individual to be open and receptive to feedback and cooperated with the assessment process and willing to learn from feedback. The service was responsive which was welcomed and acknowledged. The registered manager told us “It is very fulfilling to see the joy on people’s faces and being part of their journey. The care comes from the heart and we want to do the best for them [people].”

The provider had inclusive leadership. A staff member told us “The manager pays attention to us, any concerns we can raise and she listens to us. The manager is always available and accessible for us.” The service operated in an open way and the registered manager was visible at all levels and available when needed. A person told us “I can talk to the manager if I have any problems. I don’t often have a problem.’ A relative told us “When I contact the manager she gets back to me. Out of hours I can phone the house on their land line.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak-up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us they knew how to speak-up if they had concerns or something went wrong. They felt the registered manager supported them and listened to them. A staff member told us, “It has been good here and you get listened to if you have any issues. They are very supportive and if you have any issues, you can ring them anytime and they are always accessible.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. Management were responsive to staff’s individual circumstances. This helped to ensure reasonable adjustments were made to accommodate staff’s needs when required. The registered manager and staff worked well together as a team. Policies and procedures were in place to enable a more equitable and inclusive organisation.

The provider did not always have clear good governance. Audits and checks were completed to assess and monitor the quality of the service covering areas such as record keeping, medicines, health and safety and infection control. Where issues were identified, action was taken to improve on the quality of the service where needed. However, during this assessment, recruitment processes were not robust to ensure safe recruitment of staff. The provider told us they have started to implement the necessary changes to standardise elements of the recruitment process to enable consistency and robustness for future recruitment. We will follow this up at the next assessment.

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. The provider told us they worked with a range of other professionals to help make sure people received continuity in their care.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. Processes were in place to ensure learning was reflected and good practice developed such as learning from accidents and incidents and audits which monitored the quality of service being delivered. People, relatives and staff were encouraged for their views about the service and what could be improved through telephone monitoring, review meetings, surveys, staff supervisions and staff meetings. The service worked with healthcare professionals that supported learning and good practice to deliver effective joined up care.