Careline Homecare (Newcastle)

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 outstanding. 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.

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.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Staff and leaders demonstrated a listening culture and were open to learning and improvements. Equality and diversity within the service was promoted. New staff received support and training which helped them to show those values in their daily work with people. A staff member told us, “I have done equality and diversity training.” A relative commented, “I have seen other carers at other people’s houses and ours are polite, kind and treat [Name] like royalty.”

The service 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. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The registered manager demonstrated they had the skills and knowledge to manage the service effectively with the support from the management team. People, relatives and staff told us management were approachable. Their comments included, “The managers are very supportive”, “The manager is very professional and nice, and easy to communicate with”, “I find management easy to talk with and the phone is always answered quickly” and “Managers are lovely. We got a telephone call last week giving us information and asking how things were going.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. The provider had a clear whistle blowing policy. Staff could raise concerns and the information about how to do this was available in the staff handbook. Staff meetings took place, and staff had the opportunity to share comments and give feedback. A staff member told us, I would raise any concerns with management and know I would be listened to.” People were informed of the complaints procedure when they started to use the service. A relative commented, “They [staff] phone up and ask for my thoughts on the service and once a year they come to the house to go over the care package.”

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff told us they felt valued and respected in their roles. They said they felt supported by the management, some said they were well-supported personally and professionally. Several staff members commented, it was a “very good organisation to work for.” Other comments included, “I feel absolutely supported” and “I call in at the office when I need to and management are around.”

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. Regular audits and checks were carried out in the main areas of the service, such as, around care records, health and safety and staff practice. Audits showed action was taken where areas of improvement were identified. However, some audits such as for medicines management, care records and other areas identified during our inspection needed to be more effective, robust and more frequent, and to ensure timely follow up of actions.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. Staff worked alongside other professionals to ensure appropriate support was provided. A person commented, “Staff call the district nurse when needed.”

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. There was evidence of changes that had been made to the service to make improvements and to address checks and audits outcomes and in response to people and staff feedback. However, we identified further improvements were needed in areas as described in sections of the above report.