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Single Assessment Framework version

All services - change

GO Online: Inspection toolkit

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Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders

The CQC will expect your managers and leaders to have the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to support and empower others across the service to deliver high standards of care.

The following film provides a summary of this area of inspection. It can help you and your teams learn about what will be inspected and what is important to demonstrate to deliver good or outstanding care.

Introducing Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders

Duration 01 min 45 sec

Those managing and leading a CQC regulated service will need to have the skills, knowledge, experience and integrity to be effective in their role.

Whilst the CQC is not always prescriptive about what experience and qualifications managers and leaders must have, there will be an expectation that they are Fit and proper for the demands of their role.

Your managers and leaders will not only need the qualifications and experience to successfully run the service … but they should also be committed to ensuring that they continue to develop themselves.

Leading by example is important to inspire confidence in the wider staff team, with managers actively involved in the day to day running of the service - and often - the direct delivery of care.

From open-door policies to other accessible ways to engage, managers and leaders should be available to the people they support, their families and friends when needed.

Staff will equally have access to managers and leaders, trusting their advice, experience and expertise. If you have good or outstanding managers, they will inspire your staff team to provide high levels of care.

The CQC interviews may ask people about how competent the managers and leaders of the service are, whilst staff may also be asked of their views about management.

In terms of documentation, the CQC may look at evidence from your policies and procedures, minutes from meetings, etc.

To help you to meet this area of CQC inspection, look at the recommendations, practical examples and resources in GO Online.

Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/790356830

Recommendations

These recommendations act as a checklist to what the CQC will be looking for. Skills for Care has reviewed hundreds of inspection reports and identified these recommendations as recurring good practice in providers that meet CQC expectations.

The CQC is non-prescriptive, which means they don’t tell you what must be done in order to meet their Quality Statement. These recommendations are not intended to be a definitive list and some recommendations might not be relevant to your service. We hope they help you reflect on what evidence you might wish to share with the CQC.

Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders

  • We can evidence how our managers and leaders are suitably experienced and qualified to enable our service to deliver high standards of care.
  • We have clearly defined roles and accountabilities for our managers and leaders.
  • We ensure that our compassionate and capable managers and leaders demonstrate the values of our service.
  • Our managers and leaders lead by example and act as role models for the wider staff team.
  • Our managers work in a transparent and open way, informing the relevant people and families and external agencies.
  • Our managers and leaders are accessible, visible, and approachable to the people we support and our wider staff team.
  • Our managers and leaders can effectively identify and prioritise issues and challenges across the service.
  • We ensure that the people we support, their families and friends get to know the managers and leaders of the service and have easy access to them.
  • Our managers and leaders have the skills and competence to get involved in the direct delivery of care and often work alongside our staff team.
  • Our managers and leaders are capable of changing policies and procedures, enabling the service to continually evolve and improve.
  • We ensure our managers and leaders have the experience and capacity to deliver upon the aims and objectives of the organisation.
  • We value management qualifications. Where a manager or leader does not have a suitable qualification, we support them to achieve this.
  • We support our managers and leaders to continually develop themselves.
  • We will protect our manager and leaders time to enable them to continually develop and help the service to continually improve.
  • We recognise the importance of retaining expertise and developing future managers. Succession planning is important to us.
  • When recruiting managers from outside of our service, we always look for those with the right values, experience and qualifications that meet our needs.
  • We will ensure that there is suitably experienced management cover at our service at all times.
  • Our managers and leaders take full responsibility for their role, including accounting for the behaviours and actions of staff. They will challenge poor performance wherever it exists.
  • Our managers and leaders are capable and confident to provide the support needed to our staff team, offering timely assistance and expertise.
  • Our manager and leaders are committed to staff wellbeing and implementing associated policies and procedures to support this.

Developed in partnership with

Skills for Care Ltd, West Gate, Grace Street, Leeds, LS1 2RP. Registered company no. 3866683. Registered in England charity no. 1079836.
Group VAT no. 135 538313.

© Skills for Care 2024. All rights reserved.