Right at Home Chippenham

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• 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

We reviewed 7 quality statements in this key question.

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.

Staff told us during their induction they were given information on the provider values. Staff said they knew and understood how the provider wanted them to work with people. One member of staff told us, “They are an organisation that want the best for people. We do our best all the time to keep people safe. They told us the values when we started, and they are on the wall in the training room.” All staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed their work and were happy at the service.

Staff were provided with information about standards of care expected by the service. This included the provider values and a range of polices and procedures. All new staff received an induction when they started work which gave them information on their role and their responsibilities.

Staff told us the management were supportive and available to listen or answer any questions they had. Comments from the staff included, “[Registered manager] is a lovely person to be with, and really cares about us. I feel well supported, I can phone them, or I can email them. There is good communication, they respond to my emails on time, and we have a newsletter every Friday by email” and “[Registered manager] just knows the best things to do and never tires of me. Always has time, I am so impressed, I can go to [registered manager] with anything, any problems. [Registered manager] is very sympathetic, makes you feel valued and heard. I do feel incredibly supported by the whole team.”

The service had 2 managers in post who were registered with Care Quality Commission (CQC). This meant in addition to the provider recruitment process the registered managers had also completed the CQC fit person process to become registered. One of the registered managers was responsible for the day-to-day management of the service, but the other was available at the office every day if needed. There were a team of office staff also available to support the management of the service. These staff carried out spot checks on staff in people’s homes and did people’s assessments. They also carried out visits to people if needed to provide cover so they knew people well. This meant there were always leaders available for staff if they needed direction or support.

The registered manager told us there was opportunity for staff to speak up during regular meetings or supervisions. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns internally and externally.

The provider had a whistleblowing policy which was available to all staff. The registered manager shared examples of concerns staff had raised. The registered manager said they had invited staff into the office to thank them personally for raising their concerns.

Staff told us they had not experienced any discrimination and felt very welcomed at the service. Staff said they were able to visit the office when they wanted to and meet other colleagues. One member of staff told us, “I feel very welcome, it is an inclusive environment.”

The provider had a number of policies and procedures available to support and provide guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion. The registered manager told us about a recent initiative called ‘Safe to be you’. This was aimed to raise awareness and provide different resources and training to support people and staff who were LGBTQ +. Staff were provided with newsletters to share information on a range of topics. Staff were also given a handbook with all policies and procedures and given opportunities to discuss them at regular meetings. The service employed staff from overseas and took care to make sure they felt welcomed into the team.

The registered manager told us regular checks and audits were carried out by all the office team. This meant different people were reviewing all aspects of the service to help identify improvements.

Various checks were being completed to monitor quality and safety. Where improvement was identified, action was taken to make the changes needed. Records demonstrated checks were being carried out in areas such as care planning, medicines management and staff practice in people’s homes. Some areas for improvement we found in people’s records had not been identified by the provider. However, the registered manager made changes immediately to people’s records and told us they would review their audit systems.

People’s health needs were met as staff supported them to access health care.

Staff told us they saw various healthcare professionals when visiting people in their homes. The registered manager said if people needed healthcare office staff contacted them and organised visits.

Professionals we contacted did not share any concerns about this quality statement.

The service recognised the importance of working in partnership with a range of stakeholders. The service was a member of the local authority home care framework. This meant staff from the local authority could visit the service and carry out checks for quality.

The registered manager told us they were members of various registered manager networks. This enabled them to receive updates and information on new ways of working. The registered manager told us about initiatives they were introducing and said they were always looking to develop the service. For example, a recent campaign called ‘Tell me something interesting’ aimed to learn more about people using the service. Care staff were encouraged to share something about people they had learned during visits. This information was added to people’s care plans so all staff would get to know more about people.

The service was part of a national franchise which had systems to share information on new ways of working and changes to legislation. The service had switched from paper records to an electronic care planning and staff rota system. This enabled office staff to access records in a timely way. The national office had employed a clinical nurse. The aim was for this role to help upskill care staff and develop their knowledge and skills for some clinical care delivery. The registered manager told us, staff were not expected to carry out any clinical tasks that nurses would be needed to do. However, they could be trained to support nursing staff to help people manage some more complex health conditions. For example, staff could support people who have a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). A PEG is a small tube inserted through the skin into a person’s stomach. Staff could be trained to provide care of the PEG site and monitor for infection.