Comforting Hands Ltd

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 assessment for this 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 provider 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. The provider had developed values of Outstanding, Caring, Integrity and Unity, to support their ethos of the service. Discussions in staff team meetings were focused on developing a learning culture and sharing best practices.

The provider 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. Staff told us the registered manager encouraged open and honest discussions. A staff member told us, “I like the professional development and sharing ideas and working through things.” Another staff member said, “The [registered] manager always asks us what they can do to improve, they want to know.” Another staff comment was, “I have worked in other companies and care homes, and I would say the [registered] manager at Comforting Hands has a good listening ear.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Relatives and staff told us they were comfortable speaking with the registered manager and felt able to raise concerns, when needed. A staff member told us, “I would inform the management if I thought anything was wrong, then I would let the [registered manager] do the proper thing.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff told us they felt supported working in the service. A staff member described the support they had received. A staff member told us, “The working environment is very good.”

The provider had clear responsibilities and roles for the members of the management team. However, systems of accountability and good governance were not thoroughly embedded. The provider acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Audits relating to Health and Safety and Medicines were completed regularly. The registered manager and provider had good oversight of the service. However, this was not always documented. We discussed this with the provider who made immediate plans to improve the documented oversight of the service by introducing regular reviews and audits on all aspects of the service. The electronic system had scope for monitoring some of these aspects via a dashboard, which the provider was in the process of setting up.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The provider had forged good working relationships with partner organisations. They worked alongside specialist treatment services to provide seamless support for people.

The provider 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. The provider was an active participant in local care forums and used these as a way of benchmarking the service and exploring options for improvement and innovation.