Ivy&Sage Homecare Office

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

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 service had a shared vision, strategy and culture in place. The registered manager confirmed that care workers completed an induction which included the processes and how the service was run. The service had a business strategy and vision document which described the core values, and how these impacted the way people’s care needs were identified and met. Relatives were happy with the care their family member received and felt the service was well run. Their comments included, “They are so open to feedback and so willing to make any changes that it is a really easy to talk to the care manager and it really feels like a partnership as we are all aiming to provide the best provision for [family member]” and “The care workers are wonderful. They understand my dad and his ways and how to support him. I can’t fault anything.”

The provider understood the requirements of their role in relation to providing safe and effective care. A relative told us, “[The registered manager] is exceptional, very professional and often anticipates problems and has found solutions before I am even aware of them. I would highly recommend them.” The registered manager was also the nominated individual. A nominated individual is the person who is employed as a director of a body and whose name has been notified to CQC as being the person who is responsible for supervising the management of the carrying on of the regulated activity by that body. At the time of the assessment the registered manager was responsible for the day to day management of the service which meant they had a clear understanding of people’s needs and how the care was being provided. Care workers confirmed they had regular care worker meetings and supervision meetings to discuss any issues. The registered manager had identified that they required external support to make improvements following the previous CQC inspection, so they were working with an improvement consultant.

The provider had processes to support care workers to raise concerns. Care workers told us they felt supported and able to raise concerns with the registered manager about the person they were supporting. There was a whistleblowing policy, and the registered manager explained the policy and how to contact the local authority was discussed with care workers as part of their safeguarding training and during supervision meeting. There was also information in the carer worker handbook and care workers could access the policy online.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. The registered manager told us their care workers reflected the community and, wherever possible, care workers were allocated to people with similar cultural and religious backgrounds so there were shared experiences. Care workers said they felt supported by the registered manager and they would recommend it as a care provider and as a place to work. The registered manager explained they supported care workers during religious festivals and were flexible with their hours when required.

Effective processes were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the care provided. The registered manager explained there were regular audits carried out to review care plans, records of the care provided, financial transactions, complaints, incident and accidents. The outcomes of these audits were reviewed to identify any trends requiring actions. The registered manager had developed a contingency plan which identified how they would respond to any emergency which impacted how the service was provided. Appropriate systems were in place for the storing of records and data protection.

The provider worked with other organisations to ensure people received the support they required. The registered manager told us they worked with staff at the local authority, district nurses, GPs and pharmacists who were involved in people’s care.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. There were a range of policies and procedures which had been developed and these were regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected best practice. The registered manager was being supported by an external improvement consultant to identify additional learning and development opportunities to make continuous improvements the quality of the care provided. People and relatives were supported to give feedback on the care provided though an annual survey, monthly telephone calls and quarterly quality visits. The registered manager explained they attended provider forums organised by the local authority and accessed Skills for Care to keep up to date with best practice.