Kitec Supported Living

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

Kitec Healthcare Services was well-managed, and staff understood the shared values of the organisation. There was a supportive culture, where staff felt listened to and were able to express their views. The provider and the staff team demonstrated a commitment to ensuring quality, diversity and inclusion. There were effective governance systems to ensure the service provided good standards of care and looked at ways to make continuous improvements.

This service scored 86 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff were motivated and proud of the service. There was a strong focus by managers on inclusion, equality and diversity issues. This was evident in discussions with management and staff, and they had a good understanding of the provider’s values and the vision of the organisation. One staff member told us, “Yes, I know the providers vision and strategy. My role as a member of staff is to work efficiently towards achieving the goals, providing top notch support to clients.”

The provider had embedded 6 fundamental values in all roles within the organisation and all staff were expected to work with these values at the core of everything they did. These were discussed at staff meetings and staff supervisions. We found these values had been embedded into staff practice and demonstrated the provider's commitment to ensuring a focus on best practice. There were regular updates for staff through team meetings, 1-1 meetings, emails and newsletters. Staff completed mandatory training to understand the vision, values, and strategic goals, and how their roles contributed to achieving them.

The registered manager was also the provider. All the staff we spoke with said they had great job satisfaction and were supported to develop their skills, giving them lead roles and empowering them to drive improvements and new initiatives. The provider told us, “We believe that incentives provide extra motivation for staff to consistently perform at their best and recognise their contributions to the agency’s success. We have also supported team members with time off to support their own personal needs to ensure wellness and engagement. We have hosted many events with our team over the years which includes Christmas parties, meetings focusing on coming together, as well as sharing stories. However due to the pandemic this was not as regular as we would have liked. Now that life is returning to normal, we are planning to organise regular team-building activities, staff appreciation days, or social events where staff can relax, bond, and feel appreciated as a team.”

One of the providers 6 core values was compassion which was described to be at the heart of the service. The management and staff team demonstrated a deep sense of empathy, kindness, and understanding and part of the value for compassion read, ‘We believe in delivering care that nurtures both the emotional and physical well-being of our clients. Our caregivers are dedicated to forming meaningful relationships with clients, ensuring that each person feels valued and supported.’ The provider and the team leader spoke passionately about people they supported and were keen to share and celebrate people’s achievements. For example, 1 person who had been socially isolated and lived off cold finger foods had learned to cook their ethnic dishes and started doing voluntary work. The provider commented, “[Persons] progress has been inspiring and we’re proud to help clients maintain their independence. Some of our clients, have moved on to live independently with minimal support.” The provider was committed to continually motivating the staff team and recognising their dedication to their role. For example, staff were offered additional time off for meeting certain performance goals. This was tied to key achievements such as positive feedback from people or going above and beyond in their duties.

We received very positive comments from staff about the provider and the team leader that included, “I am encouraged to speak up when things are not right. I find the culture conducive as it is not a toxic environment but a healthy working space with a good working relationship among other members of staff and management. It is open and transparent.”

Freedom to speak up was highlighted in the staff handbook which all staff had a copy of when they first commenced employment. Staff also had access to ‘SPEAK UP’ information via the whistleblowing policy and safeguarding was discussed in staff meetings. Surveys were sent out to people and staff so that they could share their views on the organisation or raise any concerns. There was a service user guide that detailed ways in which people and their families could share their views, make complaints and raise concerns or give feedback anonymously if required. Staff received safeguarding training that highlighted the importance of speaking up.

The service had an open culture where staff had various forums to share information. One staff member told us, “There is very good leadership, and I feel extremely valued and listened to. The culture is open and transparent, and I am supported to develop my skills by being enrolled in external training and NVQ diplomas.” Another member of staff commented, “I have a lot of family commitments and [manager] always checks my availability for work so that I can still be a carer, which I love, but it means I am supported in my personal life too. I couldn’t work for better people, and I am so very grateful I found this company.”

There were robust and effective processes in place to ensure there was equality and inclusion across the workforce. Staff completed surveys so they could give their views and opinions about the service. We saw from the minutes of the staff meetings they were fully informed of what was happening in the service and any incidents were shared for lessons learnt. The organisation recognised success within the service and people's and staff's achievements were celebrated. Staff were provided with ongoing training and development programs that allowed them to enhance their skills, such as NVQs level 2, 3, and 5, leadership programs, or specialised courses such as dementia care. Staff whose first language was not English were supported through additional learning and development opportunities.

The provider was committed to improving the service they provided. Staff described supervision and appraisal as regular and supportive, with staff praising the high level of support they received from the provider and the team leader. One staff member told us, “The [manager] and [team leader] are both excellent. They give 110% into everything and to make sure we give the best care. They are without a doubt good role models and are really supportive.”

The provider had a system of checks in place to monitor the quality of the service. This included regular internal audits in areas such as accidents and incidents, risk management plans, staff training, staff supervision, reviews of people's goals and required support plans. Actions plans were put in place to address any areas that needed further improvements. Risk assessments addressed people's diverse needs and risk management plans were proportionate and centred around the needs of the person. They were regularly reviewed with other health care professionals, and they took note of equality and human rights legislation.

People confirmed their needs were met by staff in partnership with relevant health and social care professionals. One person told us, "I get support from the staff who also involve others, to make sure the support I need with my mental health is just right and what I need to stay well. We all work together as a team."

The registered manager told us that multi-disciplinary meetings were organised if there were any concerns about a person’s care or wellbeing. Staff told us there were excellent communication and one informed us, “We have a lot of meetings where everything is shared with us, including advice from professionals such as the occupational therapist.”

Health and social care professionals confirmed the service was open, transparent and worked in partnership with them to support care provision, service development and joined up health and social care.

One of the providers core values was collaboration. We saw that the service worked collaboratively and in partnership with key organisations to support care provision, service development and joined-up care. Contact with health professionals was made promptly to ensure people’s support was effective and fully met their needs. For example, we saw that there was regular joint working with the psychiatric consultant and care coordinator to review care plans, the Recovery College which encouraged people to engage with various courses aimed at improving their quality of life and hospitals, to ensure safe and well-coordinated discharges promoting their ongoing recovery. People experienced very positive outcomes because staff understood their needs and worked collaboratively with other organisations. For example, we saw that 1 person had been supported to find employment and also to become part of a patient’s participation group. Staff had worked with the different organisation to ensure the person’s wishes and aspirations were met.

Staff told us learning from concerns and incidents was a key contributor to continuous improvement and meant the service continued to change and adapt the support provided and reduce the risk of further reoccurrence. One staff member told us, “Kitec Healthcare is committed to delivering a quality service with a culture of continuous improvement. We envision contributing to a thriving community where individuals with care needs are supported to feel safe, respected and empowered.”

The provider was committed to improving the service. They looked at complaints, accidents and incidents, safeguarding concerns and feedback from people to see where improvements could be made. An action plan was produced, and areas of concern addressed if there were any concerns. For example, where gaps had been identified on medication records during an audit, a more robust system was introduced, and this was monitored. Supervisions and team meetings were used to openly discuss training needs and further training would be accessed if staff felt they needed it, which in turn better supported safe and effective practice.