Helping Hands Gateshead

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

This is the first inspection for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was managed by leaders who created a culture aimed at promoting high-quality, person-centred care. The registered manager worked with staff to encourage a shared vision, strategy and culture. This is based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity, inclusion, engagement, understanding challenges and the needs of people and local communities. The registered manager fostered a positive culture where people feel that they can speak up and that their voice will be heard. They had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. An effective quality assurance system was in place. The registered manager 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. They valued diversity in their workforce and had put systems in place to ensure an inclusive and fair culture was created. The registered manager consistently looked at how to improve equality and equity for the people they provided support to and people who work for them. The registered manager ensured there was a system in place to encourage continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. Staff we contacted were passionate about providing good care outcomes and took ownership for their practice. Staff understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership. They, when needed, shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager and staff had a shared vision, strategy and culture of putting people first. The staff discussed how the registered manager operated an ethos of always striving for excellence and how they found this good practice. They continually looked at how to enhance the service using creative ways to deliver optimum care and support. There were multiple examples of significant improvements to the well-being of people from the person-centred care they received. For instance, due to the flexibility of the service delivery one person had been supported to live at home throughout their life.

The provider had a clear position around developing services which were person-centred and tailored to each person's needs. The policies and procedures the provider had put in place were based on providing transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and local communities. The registered manager completed in-depth analysis of the operation of the service, and this has led to year-on-year improvements.

Staff told us the registered manager promoted a positive, person-centred culture. The registered manager and staff put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did. One staff member said, “I value all the office staff at Gateshead branch but the one person that stands out is [registered manager]. She is an amazing manager who puts her all into her role. She not only cares for her customers, she cares for her staff too. She works so hard, which shows in the great team at Helping Hands Gateshead branch.” Staff felt the registered manager promoted integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager adopted an inclusive leadership style and supported staff to understand the context in which they delivered care and support to people. The registered manager had previously run training organisations, held the appropriate qualifications for this role and ensured they were up-to-date with current practices. Systems were in place to check staff practices embodied the organisation’s culture and values. The provider had equipped the registered manager with the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively.

Staff told us they felt confident to raise concerns with the provider and these would be listened to and acted upon. They felt their views were valued. A staff member said, “My views are always listened to within service. The communication lines are open and you never feel that you cannot call them no matter how big or small the problem is. They are a wonderful team.”

The provider had policies and systems in place, which aimed to foster a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and that their voice would be heard.

The registered manager discussed how they valued diversity in the workforce. They were working towards an inclusive and fair culture through improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff confirmed they had a working environment which encouraged effective teamwork.

The provider had ensured equality, diversity and inclusion policies were in place and these were followed. The human resources team made sure people from a diverse background felt enabled to apply for posts. The registered manager valued diversity and followed best practices guidance. They were investing in staff development, which would provide a progressive and expert workforce. They systems in place were designed to value each staff member equally and recognised the expertise and experience they brought.

Staff told us they regularly reviewed the systems and processes to determine if improvements could be made.

The provider had systems in place to monitor and oversee the operation of the service and regularly held meetings with the management team to discuss risk and areas for improvement. The registered manager had an effective system in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and ensure people achieved positive outcomes had been put in place. Information was used to monitor and improve the quality of care. There were arrangements in place to ensure data management systems were effective at maintaining the availability, integrity and confidentiality of data and records. Clear business continuity plans were in place.

People told us they were happy with the support they received and felt staff were competent. Relatives felt staff were skilled and they contacted health professionals when this was needed.

Staff understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership. Staff worked with external agencies and where appropriate shared information and learn with them.

External professionals told us the service had developed good links with them.

Systems and processes were in place to enable the service to develop good links with the local community and work in partnership with other agencies to improve people's opportunities and wellbeing. The registered manager had put measures in place to ensure the service worked seamlessly for people. They had the means to share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

Staff found the provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement. A staff member said, “I feel that we get more than enough training to make us confident in working with people.”

The registered manager had systems which encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. There was a process in place for staff to ensure continuous improvement through innovation and learning was achieved. A variety of innovative ways of delivering care were encouraged and these aimed to improve outcomes for people and ensure they experience a good quality of life. For instance the registered manager matched staff to people by looking for commonalities in their life experience.