New Age Care

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 identified a breach of the legal regulations. There had been significant changes in the leadership at the service and some staff were very new in post. The interim manager was currently completing further training, to support them to fully understand their role and responsibilities. Governance systems had not either identified or promptly resolved the concerns we found at this assessment. These included in relation to safe administration of medicines, care planning arrangements and further development required of policies, such as those to safeguard people and staff. Systems to enable staff to record details of the care provided also required further development and whilst a procedure for checking staff turnover had been introduced this required embedding. Systems to ensure outcomes and responses to concerns and suggestions raised by staff needed further embedding. Processes to ensure staff understood what protections they were offered by following the provider’s whistleblowing policy required improvement. Systems for developing strategic links with a wider range of external organisations needed to be further embedded. The way systems were operated did not always promptly enable lessons from incidents to be identified and lessons learned. Most staff were positive about the leadership and inclusive approach taken by senior staff, however, some staff advised they would appreciate more regular and timely communication from the leadership team. Some staff did not feel confident concerns taken to senior staff would be resolved as they would wish, but other staff were confident to raise any concerns. People and relatives had mixed views about how effectively New Age staff treated them as partners in the care provided. However, staff said the provider supported them to provide care to people. Staff were encouraged to develop in their role. Staff received prompt feedback when checks were made on their work and some of these checks were working more effectively.

This service scored 57 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff told us they felt the provider demonstrated the visions and values of the service by supporting them to provide care to people. One staff member told us, "We don’t feel like staff here, we feel like we are family." Another staff member said, “Managers want the best for [people]. Managers come out themselves [to provide care] and they create a really good friendly relationship with families.” Staff gave us examples showing how they worked with people and together to provide care to support this cultural approach. One staff member told us, “For staff, we want [people] to be happy and healthy, and we try and go above and beyond. One person was not happy with their evening call times. We changed as agreed by 5 minutes and this had a positive impact on their life. [Senior staff member name] is very client focused.” Another staff member said, “I like the ethos behind the company.”

The provider had developed staff code of conduct and gifts and legacies policies and had provided staff with a handbook to provide some guidance on expectations of staff. These required further development, to ensure there was sufficient guidance for staff in respect of payments for meals and trips away from people’s homes. The provider may also wish to incorporate more detail on contributions expected from staff in relation to training costs. Processes were in place to communicate the provider’s vision and values to staff through induction training and day to day communication with staff. Staff meeting were used to remind staff how they were expected to care for people. Systems were in place to check staff provided care in line with the provider’s values through spot checks, competency checks and reviews with people. The provider had recently introduced a revised supervision procedure.

Some staff told us the timing of communication between senior and care staff needed to be improved, particularly if they had raised any made suggestions about improving the service. One staff member said, “I would like a bit more communication. They have got quite a lot of new staff and they are learning as well.” However, most staff were positive about the leadership and inclusive approach taken by senior staff. Staff told us they valued that senior staff also regularly delivered care and support to people and gave us examples showing how senior staff had supported them to do this. Staff said they were encouraged to develop in their role and take on extra responsibilities. One staff member said, “They take care of us [staff], make sure we paid on time, and that you get all the required training." Staff advised us New Age will also help out with salary advances if needed. Another staff member said, “I became carer [staff] of the month, it made me feel good to see my work appreciated.” Staff gave examples where they had been supported to make adjustments to their working patterns, so their own needs would be met.

The provider’s current system was to pay minimum wage for non-mandatory training undertaken by staff. Processes to ensure staff understood what salary payments would be due as a result of undertaking mandatory training needed further development. The provider will wish to consider related legislative responsibilities, including National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and associated legislation, when reviewing and developing this. Systems to ensure outcomes and responses to concerns and suggestions raised by staff needed further embedding. For example, to ensure opportunities for identifying any concerns or poor practice were maximised with staff providing such feedback being supported. Systems were in place to support staff who were lone workers, through contact with an on call number manned by senior staff. Processes were in place to support staff well-being, including a counselling line should staff wish to access this. Regular calls were made to staff to check on their well-being.

Some staff did not feel confident concerns taken to senior staff would be resolved as they would wish and one staff member was unable to explain what the provider’s whistleblowing policy referred to. However, other staff told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with their immediate line manager, and felt they would be supported to address any concerns. One staff member said, “They [staff] spoke to me and let me know about whistleblowing and I would feel confident to speak up.”

Systems to ensure staff understood what protections they were offered by following the provider’s whistleblowing policy required improvement. Processes were in place for staff to view the provider’s whistle-blowing policy. Systems were in place to support staff to raise any concerns. This included through staff meetings and supervision sessions.

Staff told us the provider promoted and supported equality and diversity within the workforce and introduced reasonable adjustments when required. For example, one member of office staff told us their role had been redefined to accommodate their health needs. Another member of staff described flexibility in their working patterns to enable them to work at home when they needed to. A staff member told us, “We have a carer who has anxiety who often calls just to talk about things. Reasonable adjustments are there, if they needs to go home, they can just ring us as long as it is reasonable time frames. We have a lot of different employees from different backgrounds." One staff member said they experienced periods of poor health and told us, “They [senior staff] have been so kind and supportive. If I have [illness] they will support me.” The staff member said they had been offered access to a physiotherapist to help to meet their needs.

Staff told us the provider promoted and supported equality and diversity within the workforce and introduced reasonable adjustments when required. For example, one member of office staff told us their role had been redefined to accommodate their health needs. Another member of staff described flexibility in their working patterns to enable them to work at home when they needed to. A staff member told us, “We have a carer who has anxiety who often calls just to talk about things. Reasonable adjustments are there, if they needs to go home, they can just ring us as long as it is reasonable time frames. We have a lot of different employees from different backgrounds." One staff member said they experienced periods of poor health and told us, “They [senior staff] have been so kind and supportive. If I have [illness] they will support me.” The staff member said they had been offered access to a physiotherapist to help to meet their needs.

Staff told us their work was regularly checked by senior staff and they received prompt feedback which enabled them to improve their care practices. Staff said they were supported to provide care through easy access to the provider’s policies and by discussions at regular staff meetings. Senior staff said they regularly met to discuss governance arrangements and to update their service improvement plan. One senior staff member said, “We all say what we have done and what we think. If there is something we think is not quite right, we will raise it at the meeting and it will be added into the SIP [service improvement plan]." However, some staff told us they were very new in post and the interim manager told us it was their first management job and they were currently completing further training, to support them to fully understand their role and responsibilities.

There had been significant changes in management team since our last inspection and there was a lack of consistency in the leadership of the service to ensure improvements were embedded in the service provided. Systems had not ensured follow up actions after incidents were always followed through. The provider’s representative told us they would address this. There had also been a delay in one incident being entered onto the provider’s monitoring system. This increased the risk patterns or trends would not be promptly identified, or actions taken to mitigate these. Processes to check the safe administration of medicines did not always work well. Medicines audits were completed, but had not promptly identified or addressed the concerns we found at this assessment. The system of checks used had not identified some of the concerns we found in relation to care planning arrangements and policies to safeguard people and staff required further development. The challenges of providing cover for care calls in areas geographically remote from the provider’s offices had not always been fully addressed. Some required improvements identified during this assessment were similar to issues we identified at the previous inspections. The new management team had put a service improvement plan in place, but this had not yet fully addressed some of the concerns we found at this assessment. Systems to guide staff on what care was required and to enable them to record details of the care provided required further development. A new procedures for checking staff turnover had been introduced, but required additional embedding. However, some processes for checking the quality of people’s care were working effectively. For example, systems to regularly check people’s satisfaction with the care provided and to ensure staff were supported.

We received mixed views from people relatives about how effectively New Age staff treated them as partners in the care provided. One person told us, “There are no issues with the carers, it’s just the immense turnover of staff, and the people in the office are a lovely, but they do not seem to be able to co-ordinate care.” The person told us there had been some improvements after raising this with a number of senior staff, but said this had been hampered by changes to the senior staffing team. One relative told us there had been some concerns about the care provided to their family member. The relative said, “I am frustrated with the [New Age] and angry they are not listening to the serious concerns I am raising. I get no response from management, management don’t seem to care.” Other people are relatives were more positive about the ways they were involved in working as partners in care. One person said, “They [staff] don’t just do physical care they have a community meeting in their offices once a month, exercise sessions and speakers, and a Sunday lunch club when we go to a restaurant.” The person said the Sunday lunch club had been their suggestion. The person also told us, “I have no compunction in mentioning things and I know [staff member’s name] will try to sort it.” A relative told us how involved they had been in deciding what care their family member wanted, and said their views were listened to. The relative said, “The staff have done an incredible job over the past months. It is a person cantered approach, respectful and thoughtful. It has transformed [person’s name] life, and that of mine and other family members.”

Staff gave us examples of joint working with other colleagues which had benefited people receiving the service. This included working together so some people’s call times were adjusted as people wished. Staff explained the range of other health and social care professionals they worked with included people’s GPs, district nurses, chiropodists and palliative nurses. One staff member said if other health and social care professionals asked them to vary how they were caring for people, “I would need to get any changes in a written format and let the office know. They’re quick to update care plans.” Another staff member told us how effective joint working had helped to ensure a person they cared for was seen promptly by their GP when they wanted it. Staff we spoke with gave us examples showing how they had supported people to access community groups and voluntary organisations, so people would feel less isolated.

Partners told us there was a good level of communication between New Age staff and their organisations. One health and social care professional told us communication was “Excellent” and said, “We have a robust method of communication. Staff do not hesitate to ring us if they have a query or concern when with [person’s name]. They are very prompt with replies.” Another health and social care professional told us they had worked with New Age care when one person with communication support needs required additional care from the service. The health and social care professional told us, “The carer that assessed was very thorough and listened to the family’s needs.” Other health and social care professionals said the joint working between their organisations enabled a consistent approach to providing care. One health and social care professional said the approach taken by staff was to enable people to do as much as possible. The health and social care professionals said, “The New Age Care Management Team are very supportive of their staff and all are very flexible and accommodating to meet the daily challenges they have when supporting [person’s name] and their needs.”

The systems used to ensure all referrals to health professionals were promptly followed up needed to be strengthened. A process for communicating information to other social care agencies needed to be developed. Information from partners showed the new management team had started to develop strategic links with partners, but more time was required to embed this. However, some processes for engaging in strategic work with other organisations were working more effectively. This had helped to ensure people were supported to access a range of voluntary organisations and community groups and that people would benefit from accessing dementia friendly hotels.

Some staff gave us examples where they had made suggestions to improve the accuracy of recording of care but advised learning had not been promptly taken from their suggestions. Other staff told us opportunities for taking learning from their work were identified and communicated to other staff members. The way systems were operated did not always promptly enable lessons from incidents to be identified and lessons learned.

Processes to ensure all incidents were promptly recorded and required follow up actions taken did not always work well. Systems to capture the impact of care provided through reviewing people’s care did not always identify the full extent of care provided, or consistently address where change may be required. However, processes were in place to ensure the service keeps up with good practice guidance and the provider shared learning through Atlas on areas such as diabetes, infection control and good hand hygiene and how to clean effectively. Posters in the office reminded staff of the importance of duty of candour and reporting and sharing incidents and accidents.