Access Dignity Care Limited Also known as Access Dignity

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 inadequate. 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. The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to Governance. Improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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 provider had developed 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. The registered manager told us they have worked extremely hard in looking at all aspects of their business to improve outcomes for people using services. They told us, “The last year has been my biggest learning curve, we focused too much on going over and above. We started from scratch and we were very fortunate to keep the same team, no one jumped ship. The biggest thing I had learnt so much is our auditing processes in place and the oversight I need to deliver a good service.” Staff were positive about the culture of the service and told us they were part of the changes. A staff member told us, “The best thing is seeing the positive changes over the last year, the support and teamwork and everyone pulling together. There is lots of positives.”

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. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The management team took a whole team approach following the last assessment to look at and improve all processes and systems. The providers commitment to improvement resulted in a self-embargo so they had the time to embed the improvements. A professional told us, “I find the manager very passionate, knowledgeable and capable.” Staff were positive about the management team. A staff member told us, “My Registered Manager is [named]. They are amazing and gives us a lot of training, which allows us to go to clients' homes and provide them with a good service. I think the company is doing very well.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. A complaints process was in place and all concerns were captured on an overview so staff could identify any themes or trends. The overview included that people had received an outcome about their concern. A relative told us, “No I haven’t raised a complaint I only spoke to them about safety concerns when carers were arriving late, but that has improved now.” Whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place for staff to speak up freely. Staff told us they were able to voice concerns and felt listened to. A staff member said, “The registered manager and the management team are supportive and approachable. I feel the service is well run, with clear procedures and good communication.” Whilst most people felt communication with the office was good, a couple of people felt more improvement was needed. A person told us, “The manager makes sure I always have someone to visit me.” Another person said, “I don’t feel the office share information well enough with me. They don’t always call me to explain if times of visits have been changed or if a carer is running late.” A relative said, “They phone me and I can use the [messaging service]. The staff record everything about the visits for me to read.” The registered manager told us they would follow up the issue with communication straight away with the person.

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. The provider had worked with staff to improve and review all aspects of the culture of the service. The registered manager said, “We try to embrace other cultures, we celebrated Eid and had breakfast with staff. We joined in Hindu meetings and we adjust rotas for staff religion when needed.” The induction included workshops and support for international staff, however at the last assessment formal training for equality and diversity had not been undertaken and at this assessment this remained outstanding. Staff we spoke with did not express any concerns around bullying or harassment and told us they felt supported and valued. Following the assessment the registered manager told us they would be adding equality and diversity for staff as part of their mandatory training.

The provider 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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider had strengthened Governance arrangements in all aspects of the service. The registered manager told us they had spent time with team leaders scrutinising all care plans. Team leaders were now doing their own care plan audits as they had increased their awareness of the new processes. They said, “We have tried some processes which we then scrapped as they did not work but we have made the whole process more streamlined.” A daily audit meeting was held where managers could act on the best information about risk, performance and quality, and share this with others when appropriate. Audit information was also analysed to identify any themes or trends.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The registered manager told us they regularly engaged with partner agencies to support people and improve outcomes. The service had collaborated with a local community centre and started a Dementia Café “Forget me not!”. The primary goal of the café was to provide opportunities to local people living with dementia and their families to have somewhere where they can come out of their home and enjoy activities together. The staff regularly worked alongside other agencies involved in people’s care. A professional told us, “They have engaged with workshops and accepted training as they drove a process of improvement last year.” Another professional said, “I have found them very friendly, engaging and willing to learn.

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. Following the previous assessment, the service had undertaken significant processes to learn, improve and innovate. Staff told us they had received additional training and spoke of the practical workshops undertaken which had supported them to improve. These included cooking and household skills to be more aware of people’s preferences. The provider had linked with partner agencies to access additional training to improve outcomes for people.