Andrea Sutcliffe Chief Inspector of the CQC has stated that their work is guided by a simple principle – is this a service I would be happy for my Mum or anyone I love to use? If it is, that’s fantastic; but if it’s not good enough for my Mum, it’s not good enough for anyone’s Mum and we’ve got to do something about it.
Lots of services have taken up that challenge and improved. We wanted to share some of their experiences to help others to improve too. In the Driving Improvement Report a number of different services were approached who had been given an inadequate grading by CQC.
For each service interviewed a range of people, including people who use services and their families, registered managers, providers and owners, care staff, administrative and other staff, commissioners and social workers. CQC staff used the following questions to interview providers and managers, and adapted them when interviewing people who use services, staff and others:
What was your reaction to the service being rated as inadequate?
How did you approach improvement?
What support did you ask for and what support did you receive?
What were the obstacles to improvement? How did you overcome them?
Did the inspection report help you improve your service and outcomes for people?
How did you involve staff and support them further in their work?
How did you involve people, their families and carers and volunteers, who use the service?
How did you involve and work with local partners?
Could you give us some examples of tangible improvements?
Could you give us some examples of improved outcomes for people?
Looking back on the improvement journey, what have you learned, and is there anything you would do differently?
What are you doing to ensure improvements are sustainable? What’s next on your improvement journey?
To summarise, what would you say are the top five actions you took that helped your service improve?
Key Themes
Reaction to the initial inspection report
Most providers, and not just in the adult social care sector, react to a report highlighting failures with shock, surprise and disappointment. But usually when people stand back and have time to reflect, they understand the failings. As one care worker told us: “In the report we recognised the failings and could see the truth in what was said.” For committed staff the report can come as a relief, as in some of our case studies staff were struggling – doing their very best but unable to deliver the care they wanted to. Several case studies highlight the impact that a rating of inadequate and report of poor practice can have on a service’s reputation.
Leadership
The value of a good leader cannot be underestimated. In most of the providers we spoke to, a new manager had come into the service to deliver the improvements. They engage with staff, people who use services and their families; they are open to suggestions but set parameters and take tough decisions where necessary. Staff and family members in some of our featured providers commented about a manager’s door always being open.
Cultural change
Leadership and culture go hand in hand. It’s the leader’s job to shape the culture of an organisation. Failing organisations tend to have cultures in which staff are afraid to speak out, don’t feel they have a voice and are not listened to. Involving staff is one of the best ways to drive improvement.
Person-centred care
Typically, when a new manager took up the reins, they wanted to see care plans. And in most cases, these were lacking in detail and did not demonstrate that the care being provided was person-centred. It is simply not possible to provide good care if the care staff do not understand the needs of the person being cared for.
Staffing
A range of issues to do with staffing contributed to the low rating in most of the providers featured in this publication. Too many providers were struggling along without having enough staff to deliver safe and effective services. It wasn’t generally because the staff didn’t care; it was because they didn’t have the time to care as well as they should. And that put a great deal of stress on staff as well as putting people who used services at risk.
Working with partners
Most of the services we feature received support to help them improve – mainly from the corporate provider, if there was one, or commissioning bodies. The starting point was having a manager and staff who were willing to ask for support, were honest about the issues they faced, and were open and transparent about their plans for improvement.
Building a community
Providers that are good and aspire to be outstanding look beyond their own walls and seek to be part of the local community. We saw great examples of providers opening their doors to local groups, working with local schools and bringing the families of the people who use their services.
Summary
The CQC Driving Improvement Report raises a number of interesting questions regarding inadequate social care. Most managers of care services will now be fully aware of the key themes identified in this report which constantly appear in literature produced by CQC. This does not demean their importance. It would appear however, there are still too many providers graded inadequate who have still not taken on board their importance.
The services who took part in this study must have been committed to improvement when approached by CQC, otherwise they would not have agreed to it. The elements of good practice identified in this report can be followed by all providers with the same level of commitment.
Albert Cook BA, MA & Fellow Charted Quality Institute Managing Director Bettal Quality Consultancy