Westminster Homecare Limited (Clacton)

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 inspection for this newly registered 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 71 (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. There was a Statement of Purpose in place, which clearly set out the provider’s vision for the service. Staff had the opportunity to discuss how the service was run and to make suggestions. A staff member told us, “I feel supported, my colleagues are amazing, staff are brilliant, I have supervisions, and we have staff office meetings so always given the opportunities to discuss things.”

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. People, staff and professionals told us they would recommend the service. A staff member told us, “The company often writes me a letter that a client complimented me and it’s so nice to hear the feedback and makes it worthwhile. It makes me want to work more and motivates me. They [leaders] value me and if there is anything that I need corrected its always done in a professional way.” A relative told us, “I couldn't rate them (the service) any higher to be honest.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. A professional who worked with the service described leaders as open and honest, and told us, “Westminster management team I find are not defensive like other care agencies can sometimes be if concerns are raised against care agencies. I find the management team always tries to ‘work with’ not ‘against’ and I think this is their main asset.” A staff member told us, “The door is always open, and we can always go up to the office.”

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. The registered manager told us, “All staff have training in equality and diversity. It is a question we ask [staff] at interview, ‘What does it mean to you?’. It is important for everyone to be included.” The service also highlighted different cultural events to staff via social media to raise awareness, including a number of different religious holidays.

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 acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. Legal and regulatory requirements at the service were met. However, some systems required some further development to ensure areas for improvement such as recruitment and care plans were identified and promptly acted upon. The management team were open to this feedback and told us they would act upon it. The service also had a dedicated corporate quality assurance team, who were available to provide the support needed to continuously drive improvement.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. A professional who worked with the service told us, “I have worked with this care agency for many years, and I feel we both as organisations have worked hard over many years to develop sound, open, and honest multi-professional working for the benefit of the service users.” Leaders worked well with system partners including the local authority, and were part of local provider forums to share ideas and learning with others. The service also linked in with national charities to promote awareness and understanding of health conditions.

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. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. There were plans in place to run a social media campaign, celebrating care workers and raising the profile of social care. Leaders also told us about plans to support people’s relatives with information and training on dementia. The Regional Head of Operations told us, “I’ve worked in care for 30 years now and this is one of the best branches I have had.”