Key Point Agency

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

There was a positive culture at the service. People using the service, relatives and staff were happy. Relatives and staff all told us they would recommend the agency to others. Comments from relatives included, “I am very satisfied with the agency’’ and “They are friendly and helpful. I find managers are approachable and [person] feels comfortable with the carers.’’ A member of staff explained, “They are a good agency to work for, they support us and monitor our work, we have training, and we regularly speak to the manager.’’

The agency had goals and objectives based around person-centred care. They sought feedback from people using the service and relatives. This had been positive with 1 person telling the provider, “I appreciate the dedication and patience of the care workers. They always ensure my comfort and dignity. Their professionalism and kindness make a significant difference in my daily life.”

The registered manager was experienced and had a management in care qualification. Relatives and staff told us they found the registered manager approachable and helpful.

There were procedures to help staff and others speak up if something was wrong. The staff told us they were familiar with these and felt confident raising concerns. One staff member said, “I am happy to speak up. My manager listens.”

The provider had policies to help ensure staff were well treated and there was no discrimination. Staff explained they felt supported, were able to take time off when needed and that their individual needs were considered when the registered manager planned work. Records of staff supervision showed the registered manager discussed staff wellbeing and any needs they had.

Systems to ensure records were always accurate, complete and up to date were not always effectively implemented. We found gaps in some records, such as staff records and some information within care plans, which the provider’s own audits had not identified. We discussed these with the registered manager who agreed to review how audits were completed to ensure these were thorough and identified any gaps in the future.

The provider had a range of policies and procedures. These were regularly reviewed and updated. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and regularly sought feedback from stakeholders.

At the time of our assessment, the provider was not actively engaging in community work. They did not have any care commissioned by local authorities and the registered manager told us that people or their families liaised with community healthcare professionals directly.

However, the registered manager explained they were hoping to expand the service and liaise with local authorities about this. They were considering updating their registration to include a supported living service. The provider’s business development plan included aims to participate more in local networking events and strengthen partnerships with others. The registered manager told us this was something they were developing.

The provider developed a learning culture where staff undertook regular training. There were staff meetings where the care workers and managers discuss things that had gone wrong, learning from incidents and specific areas of training. The registered manager told us they were planning to start discussing different policies and procedures during these meetings to refresh staff knowledge.