Assist Care Group - Surrey

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Staff supported people with kindness, compassion and dignity. The provider prioritised workforce wellbeing and enabled staff to deliver highly personalised care. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and individuality in every aspect of their work. They extended shifts, waited with people for ambulances, supported families through sudden end-of-life situations and ensured no one faced distress without support. People and relatives praised staff’s compassion, professionalism and commitment. Longstanding relationships helped staff build trust and provide continuity.

Staff responded particularly well to people’s immediate needs. They recognised changes in people’s health or circumstances, escalated concerns promptly and coordinated urgent help with GPs, district nurses, paramedics, pharmacies and hospitals. The provider adjusted staffing after hospital discharge, arranged care at short notice and ensured carers waited for people returning home late at night. The provider’s ‘Report to Support’ process and live operational oversight enabled managers to triage and act on frontline concerns immediately, minimising people’s discomfort, distress and risk.

Leaders embedded workforce wellbeing and enablement throughout the service. They prioritised staff welfare by providing mental health support, flexible working, regular supervision, competency development and immediate assistance when staff faced difficult situations. Staff felt valued, listened to and empowered to influence decisions. The provider retained staff exceptionally well, which gave people experienced carers, continuity of care and trusted relationships.

Leaders created a clear vision based on transparency, equality, human rights and inclusion, informed by their strong understanding of people, staff and local communities. Staff understood these values and described leaders as visible, approachable and accountable. Leaders used digital systems to maintain real-time oversight, communicate transparently and share learning.

The service fostered a strong speaking-up culture. Staff raised issues openly, anonymously or through a confidential email that only senior managers could access, and leaders clearly signposted independent escalation routes. Through regular meetings, supervision, independent surveys and ‘you said, we did’ feedback, leaders strengthened psychological safety and showed staff that they acted promptly on concerns and ideas.

Leaders promoted workforce equality, diversity and inclusion within the organisation and challenged inequality and structural bias across the sector. They contributed to local and national discussions about modern slavery, travel expenses and minimum-wage compliance, reviewed policies to identify discriminatory barriers and used staff feedback to shape improvements.

The provider placed learning, improvement and innovation at the centre of its approach. Leaders systematically analysed incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns and medicines errors and turned learning into preventive action. They used independent feedback to strengthen transparency and technology to connect staff’s real-time reports directly with relevant policy guidance. The provider also developed software to analyse electronic call-monitoring and contractual data relating to travel time, working-time requirements and minimum wage, aiming to improve workforce equity and care quality across the wider sector.

Staff kept people safe, assessed and reviewed their needs, managed medicines effectively and coordinated care with health and community partners. When people raised concerns about visit timings or infection-control practice, the provider recognised the issues, acted promptly and strengthened oversight, training and monitoring. Overall, staff delivered exceptional compassionate care, while distinctive leadership drove personalised support, timely interventions, workforce stability and continuous improvement.