The examples below provide insight into how other Good or Outstanding rated services are succeeding in this area of inspection.
Use the filter to choose different types of examples or select based on related prompt.
The benefits of community engagement
The service was an important part of its community. Staff had developed community links to reflect the changing needs and preferences of the people. There were a significant amount of collaborations between the home and the community.
For example, people and staff helped to collect and pack up contributions to the Ukraine Appeal. A local beekeeper donated some honey which the home used to make honey cakes. A local florist in Aylesbury donated hundreds of lilies and flowers to the home for their 'Westgate in Bloom' competition entry which was led by a keen florist in the home.
A number of local businesses donated items ranging from beauty products to roses, wine and vouchers when the home worked with them to promote small local independent businesses following the Covid pandemic.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: Byron House Care Home
Date published: January 2023
Driving social values through the local community
Being committed to UN Sustainable Development Goals on an organisational level, Manor Community will continue to drive its vision and direction through community work that drives social value, promoting equality through diversity training and supporting team members through perks such as counselling, medical insurance, and guidance on healthy lifestyles.
By encouraging a culture of continual learning and training, and looking at lessons learnt on a monthly basis, Manor Community has continued to thrive throughout the pandemic. They brought forward key learnings that they’ll continue to embed as part of their leadership and management approach in the future, consistently adapting to change and ensuring learning and reflection flow through all levels of their structure.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Manor Community
Date published: October 2021
How values are important when working with partners
In this 1.5-minute audio clip from the Care Exchange podcast, Joseph Hughes explains how the organisation’s values are important when working collaboratively with others.
You can listen to the full podcast here and access our latest episodes of The Care Exchange here.
You can read the related CQC inspection report here.
Care provider: City Care Partnership Ltd
Date published: May 2021
The importance of having a support network and connecting with other managers
Being a care manager, you have so many different jobs rolled into one and if you don’t have good support from your own directors, managers or deputies then it can be a very lonely place.
Having that support network of people who are going through the same issues as yourself – including staff absence, managing COVID-19 and an outbreak, infection control etc – is so important as we’ve all got the same stresses and challenges. Being able to reach out to someone who can give you that golden nugget of key information can alleviate your anxiety.
The Skills for Care Facebook group for social care managers has helped me massively. I had a lot of local support network connections, but it’s helped me to connect with other managers and now we follow up with one another, checking in regularly and helping to relieve the pressure.
You can read the rest of this blog here.
Care provider: Eastern County Care Ltd
Date published: December 2020
Engaging people to strengthen community initiatives
People's ability to engage and contribute was celebrated and supported by staff. People attended citywide meetings for stakeholders that included social workers, commissioners and community groups.
The people were able to speak for themselves and demonstrate how they were fully equal. This engagement and involvement changed the way that other stakeholders looked at representation in the local community.
People's involvement helped address imagery previously used that perpetuated stigma around people with disabilities. Since the panel discussion people's real-life images were used which emphasised a can-do attitude rather than perpetuating an image focused on the person's disability.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: Shared Lives Scheme - Coventry City Council
Date published: April 2020
Teaching care homes initiative
The service was an excellent role model for others. The Royal Star and Garter – Solihull is an accredited 'teaching home care home.' Teaching care homes are recognised by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for their exceptionally person-centred care.
The accreditation demonstrated commitment to the development of best practice and good leadership across the care sector. Support had already been provided to several care homes across England and plans were in place to develop this further.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: The Royal Star & Garter Homes - Solihull
Date published: March 2020
Building community links to improve dementia care
We were most recently inspected last year, and the engagement we saw from our local inspector was about more than just compliance – it was looking at the impact we had on the local community and our clients’ quality of life.
Home Instead works with lots of local people and organisations that help us to improve our service and develop our community, so that we can all better support people who are living with dementia.
For example, we work with Dementia UK that provides specialist dementia support for people and their families. If our staff are concerned about someone they’re supporting, we contact the charity for advice. They’re also great at working alongside our clients and their families to give them one-to-one support, and, when they find things challenging, practical solutions.
Care provider: Home Instead Senior Care Westminster
Date published: May 2019
Providing specialist training to staff and wider local authority
The registered provider had set up their own training company, which provided some training to two local authorities in addition to the service’s own staff.
Training included mandatory subjects, such as safer people handling, infection control and food hygiene. In addition, complementary and bespoke training was provided in subjects such as person-centred support (PCS), positive behavioural support (PBS), personal development and supervision (PDS), sleep apnoea, dementia awareness, Prada Willi syndrome, brain injury, fire marshal, epilepsy and mental health. This showed staff training was developed and delivered around individual needs.
The specialist training was delivered following consultation with relevant health professions, such as community nurses, consultants and specialist dieticians.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Community Support Service (D.D.H. Services Ltd)
Date published: March 2019
Creating a community hub
The registered manager set up a social enterprise scheme, involving people who used the service to support the local community. The services provided included running a café, preparing for employment workshops, recycling, a gardening service and an ironing service.
People from the local community, and people supported by the service, had found paid employment as a result of this. In addition, the registered manager set up a programme at a local school to provide work experience for people using the service, exploring employment in the caring arena.
The registered manager told us that during local floods, the services training centre had become a community hub, providing an emergency response and help to people who temporarily had no home. This has had a positive impact on the local community.
Read more about this service here.
Care provider: Community Support Service (D.D.H. Services Ltd)
Date published: March 2019
Promoting dignity to students
The provider looked at innovative ways to engage with the local community. For example, they were about to work with the local university to teach and promote dignity and respect for the aging population to prospective care and nursing students. This was going to include people that lived there talking with students about life experiences and the importance of dignity and respect.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: August 2018
Developing a ‘safety in town’ campaign
The service has taken a local lead in the development of a ‘safety in town’ campaign. This works with local shopkeepers to provide safe places and assistance for people who may feel vulnerable.
Care provider: Castle Supported Living Ltd
Date published: April 2018
Networking and sharing best practice
We attend provider forums to link in with other professionals to discuss sector issues and to share best practice and participation in new initiatives. We attend Skills for Care' registered manager network meetings to keep-up-to date with relevant issues and any sector changes and build relationships with other registered managers. In addition, we attend Skills for Care workshops on issues such as the implementation of the Care Certificate and CQC regulations.
We’re involved in events that share specific autism-related best practice, attend BILD conferences and work in collaboration with Redstone PBS, an external organisation whose aim is to provide high quality behaviour solutions, supervision and training in positive behavioural support (PBS) for individuals and organisations.
Care provider: City Care Partnership Ltd
Date published: April 2018
Inviting schools into the service
The service arranged a wellbeing walk for local primary school children. The route included a visit to the service’s social lounge where the children could meet and learn more about those who use the service.
Care provider: PossAbilities CIC
Date published: April 2018
A county-wide approach
Gloucestershire County Council has implemented a county-wide approach to positive behavioural support (PBS). They set up a ‘challenging behaviour working group’ to develop a challenging behaviour strategy which outlines their strategic approach to supporting individuals with learning disabilities and/or autistic people who display behaviours which challenge. PBS is strongly featured in the strategy.
Read the full case study here.
Read more about the service here.
Care provider: Gloucestershire County Council
Date published: December 2017
Developing collaboration between services
A group of providers in Cumbria enlisted the social enterprise Dignity in Dementia to help develop a toolkit that could assist inter-professional team working and help strengthen skills and competencies, to improve the delivery of integrated care across services.
A film and workbook were produced to demonstrate situations where communication across teams was either very good or could be improved. Different professionals were then brought together to discuss the scenarios, including GP’s, district nurses, social workers, care home assistants and registered managers.
People who took part in the trial said they had a better understanding of the need to:
- build successful relationships with health and social care partners
- develop understanding and empathy for others
- understand the impact of their behaviours and communication
- work together to achieve true person-centered care
- raise concerns about safety.
Click here to read the full case study.
Care provider: South Lakes Social Care Registered Managers Learning Network
Date published: December 2015