Premier Community

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

Premier Care had developed and fostered a culture of openness, transparency and inclusiveness. Management had identified barriers to people and staff and designed innovative ways for people and staff to access communities and get support relevant to them. People and staff told us they had experience positive outcome and felt the management team were approachable consistently available including out of hours and provided relevant support and guidance.

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.

The provider and registered manager described the processes and journey they had been on to change the culture of the organisation. Staff clearly told us that the culture was now open and transparent with clear communication. Staff described reward and recognition programmes which embraced the company values of integrity, family governance, personalised experience and innovation. People and staff told us there was a sense of belonging which promoted overall happiness and well-being. These developments and improvements were recognised with recent awards and commendation from the East Midlands Regional Final of The Great British Care Awards.

The provider and registered manager had quality monitoring oversight and completed monthly and quarterly reports that reflected on where the culture was and the direction and plans to continue to develop. We saw evidence of clear action plans to continue to drive improvement and inclusivity that included constructive, open and honest feedback at all levels.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager and lead care co-ordinators. They felt trusted to do their jobs to the best of their ability knowing they had the support of a skilled, compassionate and capable registered manager. A staff member said, “The registered manager is great, they are approachable and have an open-door policy, they always make time for us staff members, its noticed and means a lot to know that level of support is there.”

The provider had succession planning in place, and we saw evidence of staff being upskilled and promoted into different roles. Staff were supported to obtain external qualifications, such as ‘train the trainer’ which enabled them to provide in-house training to other staff members. This meant training could be tailored to the organisation and people who receiving care.

People told us they knew how to speak to up and were confident to do so. One staff member said, “I have raised things before and before the end of the day there has been a resolution in place.” Another staff member said, “There is no judgement from anybody, if something is bothering us or we are concerned about something we are encouraged to raise it.”

The provider and registered manager had work to identify barriers to people being able to speak up. This included confidential 1-1 sessions for staff, out of hours contact support, wellness apps and group support. There was a detailed policy to support whistleblowing and we saw clear audit and logs of where concerns had been raised and actions the management team had taken.

Staff told us the provider had an effective approach to workforce equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff gave examples of being supported with flexible working hours and reasonable adjustments when they were required.

The provider and registered manager had worked to identify barriers in the workforce. The registered manager told us a key area of this had been stress and anxiety that people and staff experience whether work related or in their daily lives. To support with this, 2 managers had undertaken taking to become qualified mental health first aider. This had improved people’s confidence in giving feedback and seeking support as well as reducing absence and increasing staff retention.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and how they contributed to the running of the service as a whole across different geographical locations. A staff member told us the registered manager had acted on feedback about team meetings, the staff member said, “We now have smaller team meetings for each area so we can freely discuss what’s relevant to us without it taking hours or breaking confidentiality.” The management team described the overview they had of the service and the audit they completed which ensured they had the appropriate processes and resources in place to effectively monitor, assess and review risks to people.

Robust governance and auditing procedures were place. We saw evidence of quality monitoring and competency checks. Some of these audits were delegated to other suitable staff to complete, freeing the registered manager to have overall oversight of the safe management and running of the service. The provider had emergency contingency plans in place should there be a sudden event that could affect the smooth running of the service, or the care people received directly in their own homes. This ensured people received consistent and safe care.

People told us they experienced positive outcomes from the support and care they received. Some people described reduction in loneliness and isolation whilst others described having had help developing structure and routines to help their health and wellbeing.

Staff were keen to support people to access the community and partake in activities that were meaningful to them. One staff member said, “Because we have time to spend with people and they get to know and trust us, people tell us what they want to do and more importantly what’s stopping them from doing it. Whether we help people with transport to go shopping or take their dog a walk with them its the little things like this that build people’s independence and confidence.”

We received positive feedback from professional who worked with Premier Community. One professional said, “Staff are knowledgeable about people and come to us with referrals that are appropriate and informative to meet people’s needs. This clear information helps us act quicker to support people safely and timely. Whether that be equipment or increased call time or visits.”

To further partnership working and community involvement, the provider and registered manager worked with other Premier Community organisations across Derbyshire to support charities in the local community, involving people and staff. This included support for breast cancer awareness and Dementia UK which were both relevant and meaningful to people and staff.

Staff told us that improvement and learning we key discussion areas within Premier Community. One staff member said, “These are always top of the agenda in team meetings and updates.” Another staff member said, “We learn from each other without judgement, this makes us all better carers.”

The provider and registered manager had a clear plan for the future that included improvement and innovations. For example, the provider was currently collaborating with the Access Group and Medequip Connect to offer a monitoring service as part of their assistive technology initiative which would enable people to have the option of in home sensors to reduce falls and ensure people received prompt response in an emergency whether by relatives or staff.