Vestra Homecare Sunderland

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

This is the first inspection 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. The registered manager and nominated individual led the service with passion and commitment to the ethos of person-centred care. They had developed a culture which was open, inclusive and proactive when it came to anticipating challenges and finding positive solutions. People, relatives, external professionals and staff had confidence in the leadership of the service. Quality assurance systems were an effective blend of electronic and paper-based approaches, which allowed for real time checks and reflective analysis. The registered manager understood the service extremely well and was well placed to introduce new systems and to continually improve the service as it grew. They were responsive to feedback during the inspection.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The leadership team, care staff, office staff, induction/training lead all shared a common understanding of what good care looked like, and how they should work together to achieve it. They did this successfully, which ensured consistently good outcomes for people who used the service. Induction, training, learning and reflection all ensured staff were reminded of their core purpose and supported to continue achieving it. Staff at all levels believed in the impact they could have in people’s lives. One staff member said, “My personal best thing about my role is seeing my service user happy and healthy and being able to live in his own home with staff. Going home at the end of my shift knowing I've made someone smile and a made a difference in their lives is the greatest feeling ever.” People, relatives and external professionals felt the service was extremely well-led, with leaders being visible and accountable. One relative said, “They are excellent across the board and I just wish we have found them years ago.” Policies and procedures had regard to equality and human rights, equity of care experiences, diversity and inclusion and the needs of people and their relatives. The registered manager and nominated individual worked well together to ensure the culture of person-centred care was sustained and continually refreshed.

Staff were supported by the registered manager and nominated individual on a day-to-day basis, working from the office and always being approachable and visible. One staff member said, “My manager is very flexible and they work together to keep everyone happy. I get full support from my manager. If I come across a problem I will go to my supervisor. They are very understanding.” The registered manager led by example. They were experienced in care and brought their own passion for providing high quality care into the role. They and the nominated individual, along with recently appointed regional quality support, ensured policies and procedures were in place to continue delivering safe, effective care. Where leaders became aware of any poor practice, they took swift and appropriate action.

Staff could raise any issues with their immediate line manager, the registered manager or the nominated individual, knowing they would be listened to and concerns responded to. The culture was a positive, open one, in which different voices were encouraged. The provider had policies and systems in place, which supported people and staff to speak up if they needed. The registered manager was responsive to feedback during the assessment and worked openly with a range of external professionals.

The registered manager valued and respected diversity in their workforce. They understood the cultural makeup of the area they served and ensured staff were respectful of people’s backgrounds and beliefs. Staff were supported by a leadership team who understood the policies in place to ensure an equitable and fair approach to recruitment and retention, for instance supporting staff flexibly when needed, and having regard to staff member’s protected characteristics under the Equality Act. The provider recognised the importance of staff working well together and understanding each other’s roles. Communication and refresher training was an area of strength. The provider had recently moved location to an office that allowed staff to meet, and also allowed for people who used the service to gather for occasional events. The registered manager hoped to build on this development to further involve people who used the service.

The provider had in place a comprehensive set of checks and balances regarding people’s care, to ensure documentation and care practice was reviewed. Leaders had a clear understanding of the electronic records system and used its ability to flag any real-time errors/delays, alongside producing useful data to analyse. Where we identified areas to improve this data further the registered manager was very responsive. They also used paper-based auditing to look at broader themes and to ensure they had oversight of the quality of staff practices, for instance with regard to medicines administration. Staff felt involved, listened to and able to contribute ideas. People, relatives and external professionals had full confidence in the leadership at the service. One external professional told us, “They have always been contactable as required and have a positive relationship with Adult Social Care (commissioning services).”

Staff worked openly with others. They were open to advice and support, for instance from physios and nurses. The registered manager sought and acted on information from a range of sources to ensure people benefitted from the right care. The nominated individual played a significant role in the home care market oversight network and contributed a range of ideas of good practice to this forum, for wider sharing. People and relatives felt staff engaged with them and other health and social care partners when required. Feedback from external professionals was consistently positive. They described a dependable, flexible and proactive service. One said, “Vestra have worked with us as commissioners on a number of occasions when we have asked the market to work in different ways.” Systems and processes were well established and working well to ensure the provider could access a range of data to continually review and improve the service, and to identify broader trends. Staff actively engaged in the provider’s work to contribute to local charities, for instance a foodbank and children’s charity.

Staff were supported through a comprehensive induction and ongoing training. When staff experienced something new or unexpected the registered manager reflected on this with them and reviewed care plans and practices, to make improvements. The culture was an open one in which questions were asked and any errors were seen as an opportunity for further learning. The provider had systems which encouraged openness and learning. The quality assurance processes were clearly set out and adhered to by the registered manager. There had been no complaints or missed calls at the time of assessment. The registered manager engaged in the local registered manager forum to stay abreast of wider changes in the health and social care landscape.