The Sussex Village Homecare Service Limited

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 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 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 service had 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. People were asked for opinions and feedback through reviews and surveys, results were analysed and high satisfaction results were noted. The registered manager told us as they visited people regularly, any emerging concerns were dealt with quickly. Staff understood the challenges some people experienced due to a decline in physical or cognitive abilities and received training to enable them to care for people in line with their needs.

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 registered manager often worked directly with care staff; this enabled them to understand and help overcome challenges staff may face. Staff spoke of the support they received from the registered manager and told us they could give suggestions. A staff member said, “It is like a family, [registered manager] runs the organisation like a mother. [Registered manager] can be tough if needed, but explains why so you can understand. I like there.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff had a clear policy to follow should they need to speak up and told us they felt comfortable to do so. Minutes of staff meetings confirmed the registered manager reminded staff about the importance of speaking up.

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. There was a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and experience within the workforce. Staff with protected characteristics were supported, for example, a staff member was provided with more practical training to suit their learning style. Staff told us they felt included and respected. Comments included, “[Registered manager] is a great manager, I get along with them well. I bombard them with questions, they are always happy to answer them. [Registered manager] is very approachable.”

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. Quality assurance processes were in place and were effective in identifying shortfalls. Medicine audits were conducted to ensure the accurate recording and administration of medicines. The registered manager had identified inconsistent record keeping of ‘when required’ medicines and held staff meetings to address this with staff. The registered manager understood their duty to notify CQC of events within the service. The registered manager demonstrated their understanding of the duty of candour and told us, “The duty of candour is about being open and honest with people. Admitting if something has gone wrong and how we will make it better."

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. The registered manager told us of plans they had to integrate into the local community to include raising awareness of the service and to support a charity of the year.

The service 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. The management team belonged to various groups and forums to keep their knowledge current and relevant. Staff and management worked alongside 3 different hospices and told us how they learned from palliative care nurses and applied their learning to improve people’s experience.