District Healthcare Limited Also known as District Homecare

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

We assessed all of the quality statements within this key question. Our rating for this question is good. The registered manager had effective governance and management systems in place to oversee the service and ensure it was running smoothly. The management team completed regular checks of the quality and safety of the care and support provided to people. When these had identified areas of improvement the registered manager made positive changes. Staff were provided fair and equal opportunity at work and were valued and respected. Staff were positive about the management team and felt confident that any concerns raised would be addressed, they also told us they felt supported by the management team and there were opportunities for them to enrol in health and social care diplomas. The registered manager was aware of their statutory responsibilities in relation to informing CQC of certain changes, such as applying to relocate the registered office.

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 were aware of and adhered to the services’ vision and values. One staff member told us “I can’t think of anything that could be improved, they really are like a well-oiled machine to work for”.

The management team undertook spot checks to observe staff practice and make sure staff were focused on delivering high-quality care and support to people and meeting their individual needs and rights. The service adhered to it’s aims and objectives, as set out in its Statement of Purpose. For example, being transparent with people and learning from their feedback to continually improve their experience, and to ensure a diverse staff team are adequately skilled and supported to provide the highest quality provision to services, commissioners and individuals.

The staff told us they felt supported by the management team. They told us the management team were open and approachable. A staff member told us “It is really good, they have been really supportive and a good team to work with”. The feedback we did receive from partners who work with the service had confidence in the leadership of the service. The management team told us about how they stayed up to date with training and how they were always willing to enrol in new training. The registered manager told us the management team also completed the training care staff did and this positively benefitted people. They explained receiving this training, provided people using the service with better wound management care and minimised risk of infection.

The registered manager was able to demonstrate a strong understanding of what was required to ensure the service was run effectively. The management team used the outcomes identified in audits and checks to support staff to learn, improve in their role and improve the service.

The registered manager was open and honest with us throughout the assessment process. Staff told us “I would call my line manager if I had any concerns or witnessed any abuse. I have not had any cause to whistleblow but I do know what to do and they give us this information on the app and on training”.

The provider had up-to-date whistleblowing policies in place and means to capture staff feedback through, their open door policy, surveys, supervisions and team meetings. Staff were provided with the service’s safeguarding and whistleblowing policies which informed them about their responsibility to share and report concerns. This was provided to them on an app which allowed them to always have access to these policies.

The registered manager made it clear discrimination would be tackled and a fair culture for all would be promoted. The registered manager ensured staff felt empowered and confident to challenge discrimination. Staff we spoke with did not raise any concerns about bullying or unfair treatment and praised the management team.

The registered manager promoted a workplace that was fair and inclusive. Systems and processes were in place to ensure recruitment practices were fair, and the registered manager clearly showed value in a diverse workforce.

Staff confirmed the management team checked the quality of their work through unannounced spot checks. Staff told us “Yes staff are checked, managers or somebody more senior will do a spot check kind of thing that we will not know is happening and obviously they check the app for the recording and check we are doing things correctly”. The staff and management team had a good understanding of people’s individual needs and maintained oversight of the quality of the service to help ensure the service provided high-quality care and support.

The registered manager had plans for the growth of the service at a manageable rate, monitoring this did not impact people using the service in a negative way. The registered manager who is also one of the providers made it clear the service was not financially driven and the people who use the service were at the centre of everything they did. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities regarding duty of candour, which is their legal responsibility to be open and honest with people when something goes wrong. Our records demonstrated appropriate notifications were made to the Care Quality Commission as required. There were quality assurance systems in place that identified how the service was performing, any areas that required improvement and areas where the service was accomplishing or exceeding targets.

People did not express any concerns with the service working in partnership with other professionals, such as GPs, social workers and end of life professionals.

The registered manager told us they had worked with the local authority to provide staff to support people whose care needs were not being met in an emergency situation. Local partners of the service confirmed this.

The feedback we received from partners was positive. They told us “The provider is responsive and has previously supported situations such as supporting other providers when they have been unable to fulfil their runs”.

The registered manager had effective systems in place to maintain a good working relationship with community health care teams and the local authorities. The management team attended forums to help keep them up to date on what other services were doing and to build networks.

The management team were committed to the continuous improvement of the service to ensure people lived full and fulfilled lives. Staff spoke about learning from each other and through having regular training, supervision and staff meetings.

The registered manager had systems and processes in place to analyse incidents and accidents and use information from audits to make positive changes and improvements to the quality of the service. They ensured people, relatives and staff were asked for their feedback and opinions. The registered manager had not yet sourced feedback from partners formally. However the feedback we received from partners did not highlight any concerns.