London Borough of Hackney, Housing with Care

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

Leaders valued people’s feedback and that of their staff. Systems were in place to ensure there were open channels for sharing information and records showed these were recorded and acted upon by leaders. Staff enjoyed working at this service and told us there was a good culture for learning and support. Staff were encouraged to pursue their careers within health and social care with management support. Quality monitoring was embedded within the service and was used to keep the service focused on continually improving for the benefit of people receiving 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.

Leaders were actively working together to continually improve the service for people who used it. The registered managers, scheme managers, locality managers and staff talked positively about the support they all received and were aware of the direction they wanted to take the service in. A member of staff said, “I like the culture at the schemes, we are all from different backgrounds, we learn about people, and we are always developing and growing.” Another member of staff said, “We are always asked for our input about the schemes and the managers tell us what is happening.” A scheme manager said, “We all work well and support each other.”

Systems were in place to support a positive culture for staff and for people using the service, this was through team meetings, one to one check ins and welfare checks for people. Leaders were visible to support those who needed it and to positively encourage and give feedback on the work staff were doing towards their goals to improve.

Staff were complimentary of the registered managers and their respective scheme managers stating they were approachable and provided support and guidance when needed. A member of staff said of the registered managers, “They are very caring and concerned about us staff, they often call the scheme and enquire how we are managing.” The same member of staff told us the registered managers visited them in person to discuss any concerns and to check staff well-being, the registered managers confirmed they did this. The registered managers told us they had “amazing” support from their directors and this gave them the confidence to work towards meeting high standards of care for people using the service.

The registered managers visibly cared about the work they did to enable staff to do the best they could to support people using the service. The registered managers had the skills needed and understood their responsibilities. The policies and procedures in place supported leaders to effectively carry out their role.

A health professional indicated that one person was unable to provide their feedback on the quality of care within one of the services as they were not asked to do so. We raised this directly with the registered managers and they provided information to assure us that people did have the opportunity to speak up in a number of ways and they shared information on how they supported customer service to improve people’s experience. Staff told us they were able to raise any issue directly with their scheme manager or the registered managers. A member of staff said, “They are available by phone or email whenever we want to get in touch. People and relatives told us they were free to contact the leaders within the service. A relative said, “I know who to go to and I go above and beyond if I need to. They [managers] are responsive and keep me updated.”

As part of the providers improvement plan, the registered managers worked to develop the “Freedom To Speak Up Policy”. There was also a whistleblowing policy in place if anyone wanted to share information on the quality of care. The registered managers told us they also offered opportunities for staff to speak in private with them if needed.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Staff told us they had the opportunity to give their views on the service and how it could be improved during meetings with management. Staff knew what was expected of them and the importance of recording information accurately and providing care in line with people’s care plans and risk assessments. The registered managers were open and transparent in sharing information when things may have gone wrong at the service, and leaders worked together and met regularly to ensure the service was performing as expected.

Monitoring systems were in place for the different schemes people used. We spoke with the Quality Assurance manager, and they had clear oversight over the service. They monitored accidents and incidents which highlighted any trends which could be further analysed by the service. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was requested to help drive improvement through the use of questionnaires. Records showed that feedback was listened to and followed up with people where they had raised something that had not gone well. Audits of the service took place, these included medicines, night spot checks and welfare visits.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Staff told us they were pleased with their new online learning platform and that the managers sourced specialist training for them. Staff also appreciated being given opportunities to grow with the service and obtain qualifications to make them more effective in the role. A member of staff said, “[Registered manager] encouraged me to apply, and I have started the social worker apprenticeship.” The registered managers and scheme managers showed their willingness to learn and take on board constructive feedback to help make improvements within the service during the inspection process.

Joint working took place with other health professionals and internal stakeholders to help people have the best health outcomes while using the service and within the wider community, for example, the service worked on joint policies with the housing association and schemes where people lived. Records confirmed quarterly meetings took place and an improvement plan in place to support the registered managers and scheme managers benchmark where they were reaching their goals to improve. Staff training was regularly monitored before it was due to expire, and staff were seen having protected time in order to complete their training to the best of their ability. In the schemes information about accidents and incidents was displayed on the walls to ensure staff could see the learning from audits and as a reminder to complete accurate records.