Alcedo Care South Lakes

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 requires improvement. 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 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Management gave positive feedback about the culture within the service. The registered manager told us “Alcedo go above and beyond” to ensure people receive good care. Staff also gave positive feedback about the provider’s culture. A staff member commented there was, “A friendly team, amazing clients, helpful and approachable management.”

The provider had a clear vision and set of values that underpinned the care provided. This was aimed at delivering high quality compassionate care and valuing staff as skilled professionals.

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 care manager described how well they had been supported since joining the organisation and could access support and advice at any time. They said, “It's all good. Everybody made me feel so comfortable. If I need a question answering there is always someone to help. I am very supported.” Staff gave positive feedback about leadership and management. A staff member said, “I feel highly supported in my role. I know I can reach out to my Managers, Area Managers and Operational Manager for support when needed. There is someone available 24/7.”

The provider had a management structure which clearly identified lines of responsibility and accountability. There was a registered manager in post when we carried out this assessment.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff knew about the whistle blowing procedure and felt confident to speak up if they had concerns. A staff member said, “I feel very confident to raise concerns, whether it be about client or staff. I have done so in another company and I would not hesitate to do so again if need be.”

The provider had a whistle blowing policy, which was regularly reviewed to ensure it remained current and effective to deal with any concerns raised. Following any incidents the provider carried out detailed investigations, which had a focus on learning lessons to keep people safe.

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. Management described the work they had undertaken to ensure there was a diverse workforce who felt supported and valued. Staff did not raise any concerns with us about equality and diversity issues. Most staff told us they felt valued and part of the team. A staff member commented, “I feel supported because the office always stress the importance of if you need anything call us”.

The provider had up to date policies and procedures relating to equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff had completed equality and diversity training.

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. Managers had a clear understanding of their role with the governance and management oversight of the service. They described how systems had been enhanced and developed to allow robust quality monitoring to be undertaken and enable a quick response to ensure issues were addressed in a timely way. The quality manager told us the QA system had been ‘re-engineered’ to make it more responsive.

The provider had an effective quality assurance system which successfully identified issues quickly. The system was reviewed regularly and enhanced to provide managers with the most up to date information. This enabled a quick response to incidents to drive improvement and keep people safe. The quality assurance team had trained managers on how to carry out robust audits to ensure these were completed effectively. The provider’s quality team had oversight and checked weekly to make sure required audits were being completed. They also completed unannounced ‘deep-dive’ checks based on risk. The quality team had developed a performance dashboard to provide a snapshot of current performance and progress. The provider had a service improvement plan which contained specific actions with timescales for completion and progress updates.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People told us the service worked well with others to provide their care holistically. People were supported to access the community, if required.

Staff and management told us about the various relationships and links the service had developed with partners and the local community. This included sponsoring a local sports club and attending local events to promote the work the service does. The registered manager told us about the community work undertaken, including a partnership with a local college to support diverse career paths and promoting the service at a local market, leaflets and on social media.

Professionals praised the provider for their positive and proactive approach to partnership working.

The provider had developed positive links and partnerships with stakeholders and the local community to promote care work. This included working with a local college to support and develop students who may be interested in pursuing a career in care. The provided also attended local events such as markets and agricultural shows to promote its care work amongst the local community. The provider used social media to reach out to people and leafleting for people who may not have access to online resources.

Management and staff had a clear understanding of the importance of learning lessons to identify areas for improvement. They described the systems in place to achieve this and how these had developed to provide real-time data to respond to situations quickly. The registered manager commented, “This ensures anything is dealt with when it happens and reduces the amount of time to deal with something.” The care manager told us there were good systems to identify and review trends and themes. They said any lessons learnt were cascaded to staff with the provider’s internal message system.

The provider had very effective systems to quickly identify incidents and act on them. This ensured lessons were learnt and risks managed without delay, to enhance people’s safety. Investigations were robust and clearly identified what went wrong and how to prevent a repeat event. Staff had opportunities to carry out additional training to enhance their skills and support career development. This included training for staff to support people with more complex health conditions. The provider also had bespoke development programmes for senior managers and staff who aspired to gain promotion to management positions in the future. The provider had received external recognition for their work relating to caring for people with spinal injuries and the quality of their training programme. They had also received external praise from relatives, professionals and a local MP for the quality of the care provided.