South West Care Group LTD T/A Goodoaks Homecare East Dorset

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 68 (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.

The provider’s vision and culture were shared with staff in the staff handbook and clients in the client handbook. All staff worked in collaboration to ensure a quality service for the people.
The registered manager ensured staff delivered care in line with those values during regular spot checks and supervision sessions. Staff showed a strong understanding of the shared direction, demonstrating it was well embedded and effective.

The management team operated an ‘open door’ policy where people, relatives and staff could speak to them at any time to ensure there was an open culture where concerns could be raised and acted upon.
 

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. However, the leaders did not always fully understand the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support. We identified areas their skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively required improvements.
The manager had a good understanding of CQC requirements, in particular, to notify us, and where appropriate the local safeguarding team, of incidents including potential safeguarding issues, disruption to the service and serious injury, this knowledge had not always been applied into practice.
Managers and leaders were not always knowledgeable about issues and priorities for the quality of services provided and did not always access appropriate support and development in their role. They did not always identify their own learning and development needs and did not make plans to address these. This meant managers did not always keep up to date with all relevant changes, which meant they did not communicate these effectively to their team.
The management team knew people well and were committed in improving the service to ensure people received high quality care. The registered manager had completed a Level 5 qualification in Health and Social Care Leadership. Although the provider had not always notified CQC of safety incidents having taken place, we saw evidence of safeguarding incidents being logged and reported as well as safeguarding referrals being made when necessary.
Staff reported that management were approachable and they carried out care visits too. One staff member said, “The office and management team at GoodOaks Homecare East Dorset have always been approachable and there with a listening ear”.
 

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

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 meetings. Whistleblowing is the act of reporting wrongdoing, misconduct, or illegal activities within an organisation.

Staff felt able to speak up and they felt confident they would be listened to. There was a clear culture based on openness and transparency. People told us they felt able to speak up to the service if needed.
 

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.

The provider had an equal opportunities policy in place. Staff had received training in equality, diversity and inclusion to help them understand protected characteristics, bullying and harassment.
Staff felt supported and valued by management. The manager engaged with staff to involve them with running the service. Management ensured equity of opportunity and experience for the workforce within their place of work, and throughout their employment. Staff felt they were treated fairly and with respect. Comments included , “I have been made very welcome at Good Oaks, and feel very supported”, “They ensure that our staff are looked after just as well. I always feel extremely supported and appreciated by my registered manager and the director of the company” and “I feel appreciated and valued in my role. Management shows this by always being available for support, listening to my feedback, encouraging my development, and recognising the work we all do.”
 

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

The registered manager and provider completed a wide range of audits and checks, which monitored the quality of care and celebrated success. However, quality assurance systems did not always operate effectively in helping to ensure people consistently received safe and good quality care and support.

Audits completed at provider level by the management team had not identified the shortfalls found within the inspection.
We found some incidents were not recorded by staff which had not been identified by the providers quality assurance systems. However, when incidents and accidents were completed by staff they were scrutinised by the manager and lessons learnt were shared with staff to prevent reoccurrence.
There was evidence of a positive culture and commitment to improvement, and any issues were resolved immediately. There were plans in place for business continuity in case of emergency or natural disasters, such as adverse weather events.
 

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 a good relationship with health and social care professionals to ensure people received consistent, good quality care and support. The management team and staff understood the importance and benefits of working with other professionals.
People’s community participation was encouraged and supported, with staff supporting people to access activities, develop independence and build relationships outside of their homes.
The registered manager participated in managers meetings where knowledge and lessons learned were shared with wider team.
 

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 service actively sought the views of people using the service, their families and carers in developing and evaluating improvement. They had a service improvement plan with key objectives to strengthen quality and safety, improve outcomes and experiences for people who use the service and support and develop staff.
Comments from the recent completed satisfaction surveys were positive.