- Homecare service
Saxon Care Solutions Ltd (Trowbridge and Westbury)
Report from 12 April 2024 assessment
Contents
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
We assessed all of the quality statements in the well-led key question
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 registered manager told us, “The providers values are embedded in our work. The organisation is open, conversations are open and flow. That is very much from the beginning, staff are not just a face.” They went on to say they always engaged with staff, talked to them about respecting each other.
Staff were told about the provider values during their induction and in relevant follow up training. There were systems to make sure the provider met new staff and all staff had contact details for the senior leadership team.
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
The registered manager told us they felt very supported in their role. They had a good management structure and they felt able to contact the provider at any time. The provider was involved in the business and was on hand to provide support to the registered manager and staff.
The service had a manager in post who was registered with Care Quality Commission (CQC). This meant in addition to the provider recruitment process the registered manager had also completed the CQC fit person process to become registered.
Freedom to speak up
The registered manager told us staff had lots of different ways to speak up if they needed to. This included human resources personnel, staff meetings, staff surveys and supervisions. Staff were also provided with contact details for all levels of staff so they could contact senior management if they had concerns.
There was a whistleblowing policy in place which all staff had access to. Concerns raised by staff were discussed at management meetings and any actions agreed across the providers services. The registered manager gave us examples of how they had listened to staff concerns and taken action to improve the service. For example, there was a weekend management team in place to help the service be adequately covered over 7 days. This had been implemented in response to staff feedback.
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
The provider had policies for equality and diversity within the workforce to make sure staff had an inclusive and supportive workplace. Reasonable adjustments could be made to some working patterns to support staff at work. A Human resources (HR) consultant had been employed part time. This role helped the registered manager identify any HR issues but also was a support for staff with workplace concerns.
The registered manager told us, “We ask staff at interview what equality and diversity means to them. We encourage them to think about everyone being different and that is ok.”
Governance, management and sustainability
The registered manager told us about their governance systems which were effective in identifying improvements. For example, following a recent audit of care records, gaps in recording were identified. The registered manager said, “The team have really pulled together to get the Trowbridge office up to speed and in line with Saxon standards.”
Systems were effective in making sure people’s records were kept confidentially. The provider used an online records system which only authorised staff could access using secure passwords. Staff had completed a training course on cyber security. Governance systems were used to carry out checks on all areas of the service. The electronic records system also highlighted actions such as gaps on medicines records and staff not logging into their visits. Office staff were able to see this information on their computers and take immediate action to address any issue. Management met weekly to review all compliance shortfalls and discuss actions needed. The registered manager produced a monthly governance report for the service which helped the provider keep track of compliance until actions were resolved. Regular spot checks were carried out by management to make sure staff were following policies and procedures.
Partnerships and communities
People’s care records demonstrated they were supported to be active members of their community. Examples included support for people to take part in religious events and to keep in contact with people who were important to them.
We asked the local authority for feedback and no concerns were raised about the way the service worked in partnership with other stakeholders.
Systems were established to enable the service to respond to people’s changing needs. The service was registered on the local authority home care alliance framework. This meant they had regular quality checks carried out by the local authority.
The registered manager told us they worked with a range of stakeholders and professionals to help make sure people received a continuity in their care. They also told us they hoped to do more community-based work with local organisations and charities. They said, “We try to look outwards and build local relations.”
Learning, improvement and innovation
The registered manager told us about their plans to continue to develop the service. They told us they had changed and introduced systems for improvement since they started in their role, but they had plans to develop further. They said, “We are going to expand our training and give back to the community. We will reach out to local charities and offer free training if they need it.”
There was a culture of learning from incidents and safety events which the registered manager was keen to maintain. Staff were supported to reflect, learn and develop skills when things went wrong. Training provided to staff was accredited and staff were encouraged to complete work-based qualifications. The registered manager was a registered nurse and regularly kept up to date with good practice and new ways of working.