We operate a robust audit programme that seeks to ensure the services we provide meet the fundamental standards of quality and safety. We undertake both clinical and administrative audits so that we can monitor care standards, safety, and quality.

Some of the most common audits include:

• Medication
• Incidents
• Electronic Call Monitoring (visit durations and visit times)
• Clinical safety (Infection Prevention and Control; Hand Hygiene; Use of PPE)
• Care and support outcomes

Our administrative audit agenda includes:

• Employee records
  • DBS Checks
  • Training compliance
  • Appraisal and supervision compliance
• Information Governance arrangements
  • Data security
  • User access and permissions

The CQC found, during a comprehensive inspection in June 2023, that 'there were established, effective and comprehensive systems in place... Regular audits were conducted to identify trends in data.'

We have a rigorous quality governance framework in place which supports us in the planning, supporting and monitoring of your care. This means making sure our team are up-to-date with the latest knowledge and expertise, and that our staff work as a team to give you exceptional care tailored to your individual needs. We monitor people's experience of our services and their outcomes.

Clinical governance has a number of themes:

• Service user experience
• Strategic capability
• Risk management
• Team leadership and performance
• Education, training and continuous professional development
• Clinical audit and effectiveness

Our wider clinical governance agenda is overseen by our Clinical Governance Committee.

Key highlights from our comprehensive inspection in June 2023:

1. 'The registered manager had effective systems to assess and manage people's individual needs. We checked people's care plans and found risks relating to people's clinical conditions had been comprehensively documented, risk assessed and care plans put in place to support them.'
2. 'Staff had the skills to provide safe and appropriate care to people.'
3. 'Medicines were managed safety and effectively.'
4. 'We were assured that the provider was supporting staff and people to minimise the spread of infection.'

We welcome feedback and comments about your experience of using our services and we are always looking for people to get involved with what we do. We do this by:

• Maintaining a simple and easily accessible complaints policy
• Having several ways to contact us (including online forms, telephone, email, online surveys)
• Holding client meetings, statutory reviews, and undertaking Friends and Family Tests
• Regularly re-assessing people we support, and fully involving them in this process

However, if you do feel that you need to raise a concern or make a complaint, please call our team on 01732 207 944 or email Care.VNLVK@nhs.net.

Data security and integrity is a fundamental part of our service - we are committed to upholding the Caldicott Principles and our data protection and information governance agenda is underpinned by robust policies.

The NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit is a self-assessment tool that allows organisations to measure their performance against the National Data Guardian’s 10 data security standards.

All organisations that have access to NHS patient data and systems must use this toolkit to provide assurance that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly.

We complete and publish our assessments each year.

You can read more about the toolkit here.

The Public Services (Social Value) Act came into force on 31^st January 2013. This act imposed a statutory responsibility on bodies commissioning public services to ensure taxpayers’ money is used to maximum impact for the local area. The essential idea is that money spent on core services, including care provision, can bring additional benefit to local communities.

There are three key components to our social value agenda:

1. Social
2. Economic
3. Environmental

We promote good social value practices by:

• Supporting local causes and charitable organisations
• Maintaining membership of the Kent Integrated Care Alliance, and the National Care Association
• Supporting a flexible workforce and promoting good work/life balance
• Collaborating with other local providers and businesses to better health and care within the region
• We buy goods and services from local businesses where possible
• Promoting continuing professional development and learning opportunities
• Paying a fair and equitable wage
• Recruiting from the local labour market, and supporting apprenticeships
• Operating a remote workforce to reduce costly carbon footprints

This list is not exhaustive. We consistently seek new and innovative ways to strengthen our social value proposition.

Values-based recruitment is an approach which attracts and recruits people on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with the values of the service. This involves using a specific question-set and seeking examples of how candidates have demonstrated our core values in their previous work roles.

We use this approach for two reasons:

1. It allows us to understand the candidate's personal values and interests.
2. It allows the candidate to understand our values and determine for themselves whether they feel we would be a good fit for their future career goals.

We use this approach with guidance from Skills for Care and Skills for Health.