In this blog we’re taking a look at the CQC’s well-led key line of enquiry (KLOE). There are 5 prompts to assess and rate your leadership.
1. Is there a credible strategy to provide high-quality care and support, does it promote a positive, person-centered culture, is the organisation inclusive and empowering and does it achieve good outcomes for people?
The CQC will be looking for testimonials. Think about what people say about your service — do you have a reputation for exceptional and distinctive service and are your staff happy, motivated and proud of their work?
Highlight your professional imagination and creativity. Your value statement should demonstrate that people are at the heart of your services. You should have full staff buy-in across the organisation with people taking ownership of their actions and understanding their role in delivering exceptional care.
Your team should collaborate well, with high levels of constructive engagement with service users. Think about any certifications your management team has that show they’ve actively developed leadership skills or encouraged staff to upskill.
2. Is there a governance framework in place to ensure responsibilities are clear and that quality of performance is managed? Are risks and regulatory requirements understood and assessed?
Outstanding governance is well-embedded in the running of services. You should be able to provide documentation proving you have a strong framework of accountability and that you monitor performance and risk. Reports should not only identify areas for improvement, but show that you took actions leading to positive outcomes.
A mock CQC inspection is a great way to demonstrate you’re proactively assessing services and looking for opportunities to improve.
A CQC inspector will also be looking at your staff. Your managers should be providing feedback on performance at regular staff reviews that lead to real improvements in line with best practices.
3. Are service users, the public and staff engaged and involved with your organisation?
To be Outstanding you need to demonstrate consistent and constructive levels of engagement with staff and service users. You should embrace challenges from stakeholders and view them as an essential part of being accountable to service users.
Care should encourage strong links with the community and reflect the needs of the people you serve. Think about how you empower people to voice their opinions and show that you value this input. There should be evidence of your management team actively discussing, promoting and implementing processes to ensure this is happening.
4. How does the service approach continuous innovation, improvement and learning in a sustainable way?
The key point here is to show the inspector that you learn from concerns and incidents. Continuous improvement is crucial to ensure services evolve in line with service users’ needs, and innovation will be rewarded.
5. How does your organisation work with partners?
The highest rated organisations don’t just work seamlessly with other agencies — they inspire them. Good role models strive for excellence through research, reflective practice and by consulting experts. By reading our guides on how to prepare for a mock CQC inspection, you’re already making steps towards this.
For more information about mock CQC inspections call our expert team on 0333 444 5344 or email info@careskilled.co.uk.