Homelium Dorset

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 newly registered 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 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service 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 registered manager and staff were committed to providing the best care. The service mission was, ‘care should be as seamless as possible, creating an unbreakable network of support that allowed people to live at home for as long as possible.’ Staff told us they understood the importance of working together for people.

The service 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. We received positive feedback about the management of the service. Some comments were: “The registered manager is a lovely branch manager, always happy to help and I feel confident to ask them anything”, “The registered manager is a great manager. Always helping for people and they are confident. They helped me and my team to offer a good standard care”, “I feel very confident in the registered manager, they are very approachable and helpful, I also feel confident in their leadership.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People and their relatives were provided with various ways to give their views on the service. They told us they were happy to speak with staff or the registered manager to address any concerns. Staff felt comfortable raising concerns, they knew how to speak up and had confidence they would be supported. The registered manager told us it was vital to be open and transparent. Staff felt comfortable working with the service, a member of staff said, “I'm very happy to work for this company. I feel part of it, and everybody is kind and respectful towards me.”

The service 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 accepted by their colleagues and the service. A member of staff said, “We have a great team that works well together and is really good at supporting each other.” The registered manager told us teamwork was strong within the service. Staff preferences and individual circumstances were considered and supported. Equality, diversity and inclusion were included throughout all policies and procedures.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Governance systems were operating effectively which enabled the registered manager to have oversight of the service. There were a range of audits, analysis and checks within the service, which supported safety and quality. All audits and checks had action plans and outcomes. Policies and procedures underpinned all working practices within the service.

The service 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 service shared information and worked with a wide range of professionals and services to support people in their own homes. We received positive feedback from external stakeholders and professionals who worked alongside the service. One professional told us, “Everything is fine and there is a good working partnership between staff, the office and our service.” Another professional said, “We are very happy with our working relationship with the care agency.” The registered manager told us the service actively sought to engage with the local community. Recently they started a ‘care giver coffee afternoon’, held in a local coffee shop, this was a session attended by staff and people using the service, with an invitation to local informal carers. The registered manager told us this would be a regular event with plans to expand to other areas.

The service 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. Action plans from audits and monitoring checks were comprehensive, there were clear, realistic deadlines with responsible staff allocated for each action. The registered manager told us about the ways in which they were continually looking to improve the service. This included being proactive in identifying shortfalls through their audits and checks and sharing learning across the provider’s locations. The service continually sought to engage with people and improve outcomes. An example of an initiative was, ‘caring through the cold’ where the service supplied warm, fleecy blankets to people to help them through the winter. The service had received donations and had asked for volunteers to distribute the blankets. The registered manager told us this was one of the many ways they sought to improve quality of life for people.