Newbus Middlesbrough

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 was the first inspection for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was generally managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.  The provider had systems and processes in place to fully monitor the services provided. Although we found no impact on people using the service, the provider acknowledged some improvements were required regarding quality assurance, and confirmed they planned to update their governance procedures in light of our feedback. People were very positive about the management team and said they were visible via visits to their homes or easily contactable by phone. People and their relatives said they would recommend the service to others.

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.

It was evident from comments from people and relatives that staff put people first and had a genuine culture of kindness and compassion and actively promoting equality and diversity. The service had a shared direction and positive culture; however, this had been impacted by the recent revoke of their licence by the home office. The provider was working with various parties to address this.

Processes were in place to strengthen the culture and direction of the service. This included equality, diversity, and human rights policies. The provider had a business plan in place and was working on an action plan to address feedback given during the inspection.

The management team had the experience, capacity, capability and integrity to ensure that the service was delivered and risks well managed. Staff praised the management team. One person said, “If I ring (registered manager name), he is absolutely fantastic.”

Processes were in place to support the running of the service. There was a registered manager in place who was supportive to the staff team and worked hands on with people when shortages of staffing arose.

Staff said the management team were open, honest, and transparent. People, relatives, and staff felt they could speak up when needed and that any concerns would be dealt with. One staff member said, “Yes if there were any worries or concerns I would speak with supervisor or line manager, or (registered manager). Not worried about anything at the moment but would like Newbus to get their licence back.”

Processes were in place, which included whistleblowing and safeguarding polices. Any issues raised were dealt with appropriately and staff felt they would be listened to if they raised any concerns.

Staff felt supported by a non-discriminatory management team. Staff told us they were happy and felt supported.

Processes were in place. The service valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. The provider and management team valued diversity and ensured they followed best practices guidance.

Lessons learnt were discussed with staff, but this had not always been recorded. There had been a recent issue in which staff had not followed written guidance regarding a ‘do not resuscitate’ document. The management team acknowledged this and were going to address this going forward. Competency checks had been completed with the staff team to ensure staff provided good quality care to people. Staff knew the roles of the management team and were able to contact them as needed.

Quality assurance processes were in place and gave some oversight of the care and support delivered within the service. However, they needed more detail and did not always show learning from issues found. We discussed this with the management team, and they acknowledged they would update quality assurance checks and audits in line with our feedback. This included more analysis of accident and incident reporting, and more detailed audits. Care records were in place, but it was acknowledged by the provider that further work was required, including ensuring the new IT system was fully up to date with care record information. Sustainability of the service was a concern at the moment due to the revoke of the providers sponsorship licence with the home office. A robust recruitment programme was in place, but limitations placed on the provider found it difficult for them to recruit until the licence issue was resolved.

People and their relatives felt the service was ran well and management oversight was very good. One person said, “If I ring (registered manager’s name) is absolutely fantastic.” A relative said, “The district nursing team that come in, say this care agency is the best in the area.”

The management and staff team confirmed they worked well with other services. The registered manager told us they would work with which ever service supported people with their needs. Through comments from people, this was confirmed.

The service worked with other organisations and healthcare professionals to ensure seamless care was provided to people. A local authority representative said, “The management team are good people who want to provide good care. We work well with them and want to support them.”

Processes were in place to link in with local community partners and transition to the service was planned and successful.

The provider was supported with local professional knowledge to help improve the service. This included support from the local authority commissioning teams. A new IT system had been developed and new systems of work were also in progress. Staff told us they were kept up to date with training to ensure best practice was followed.

Processes were in place to learn, improve, and look for innovation. This included gathering feedback from people and families and investigating safety incidents, to identify causes and to ensure any learning was shared with the staff team.