Care Outlook (Hillingdon)

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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 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 culture which was person-centred which meant people received care that reflected they needs and wishes. The provider had developed a philosophy and mission statement document which included a description of the corporate values and how they impacted on the way care was provided. The registered manager explained that care workers completed an induction and had regular supervision and team meetings where the philosophy of the service and what it meant to the way support was provided was discussed. A care worker said, “The best thing about Care Outlook is the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives working with a supporting team that values compassion respect and professional growth.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation.

Care workers said they felt supported by senior staff with 1 care worker commenting, “I also want to highlight [the registered manager], who is always supportive and approachable. When I faced a challenging situation with a client, she provided guidance and worked with me to resolve the issue. Her leadership makes a big difference in creating a positive and caring environment for both staff and clients.” The registered manager was supported by a regional manager, an assistant manager and staff to monitor quality assurance and the electronic call monitoring system records and to review medicines administration records. The registered manager was also supported by a wider staff support team based at the head office.

The provider had a leadership and development programme which supported registered manager to complete the level 5 diploma in health and social care management. The registered manager kept up to date with best practice and was supported to undertake a number of training courses including assessment and care planning and the Accessible Information Standard.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Care workers confirmed they had regular supervision and team meetings, and they felt confident in raising concerns with senior staff or the registered manager.

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. Care workers told us they felt supported, and they would recommend Care Outlook (Hillingdon) as a good place to work. A care worker told us, “Care Outlook (Hillingdon) is a place we can call home, because everyone is welcoming, the office staffs and field staff as well, they are supportive, listen to details and act accordingly.” The registered manager said, “With a diverse office team, we are always aware of festivals and religious events and staff cover for other people to support their specific cultural and religious needs. Senior staff support staff when they are fasting.” The service had a recruitment policy which included information on implementing equality and diversity best practice when recruiting care workers.

The provider had implemented effective systems to monitor their service and implement improvements to the quality of the care. There were a number of audits and checks in place to monitor all aspects of the service. If an issue was identified the registered manager and senior staff developed an improvement plan so appropriate action is taken to address the shortfall. The provider had processes to ensure people’s records and data were stored securely in line with best practice. The provider had developed a contingency plan which indicated what action should be taken if an issue occurred which could affect the provision of care.

The provider worked in partnership with external organisations and healthcare professionals. The registered manager told us the service worked with the local authority to ensure the person’s care needs could be met when the service began to support the person. There was also ongoing monitoring with the local authority to assess the quality of care that was being provided. The service also worked with day centres that people attended to ensure their support needs were being met, social care and healthcare professionals such as GPs, district nurses, social workers and pharmacists.

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 provider ensured care workers and other staff completed a range of training to provide guidance on how to meet people’s support needs. There were policies and procedures developed which reflected best practice and were shared with care workers to ensure they understood current legislation. Following an incident or accident the lessons learned from the investigation were shared with care workers to promote their learning. The service also shared best practice across the other locations managed by the provider for wider learning.