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Care leadership is the cornerstone of exceptional adult social care. As a care manager, I’ve stood in the shoes of those juggling CQC compliance, staff shortages, and the emotional weight of ensuring every resident feels valued. My first role in a Bristol care home taught me that leadership isn’t just about managing tasks—it’s about setting a culture of compassion, accountability, and continuous improvement. In a recent Access Skills Care Masterclass webinar, expert Ed Watkinson, Director of Watkinson Consultancy, shared practical insights on leadership, governance, and risk management. Drawing from his 35 years in care, from care assistant to CQC advisor, Ed’s advice resonates with anyone striving to step-up their care service.
This blog post unpacks how care leadership drives quality, compliance, and team stability. Whether you’re a manager aiming for an “Outstanding” CQC rating or a learner studying for a Level 3 or 5 Diploma in Adult Care, these tips will help you navigate governance, manage risks, and build a workplace where staff and residents thrive.
Why Care Leadership Matters for CQC Compliance
Care leadership sets the tone for a service’s quality. As Ed Watkinson emphasised, good governance—mandated by CQC Regulation 17—is non-negotiable. Without it, your service risks being rated “Inadequate” or “Requires Improvement,” threatening its viability. Governance ensures you deliver safe, high-quality care, but it starts with leadership that inspires and empowers.
In my early days as a manager, I learned this the hard way. During a CQC inspection, our lack of clear audit processes left us scrambling to evidence compliance. Ed’s advice would have saved us: leadership is about setting a culture where staff feel confident to report issues, and governance provides the systems to act on them. Together, they create a service that’s transparent and accountable, aligning with Skills for Care’s leadership framework.
Care Leadership vs. Governance: What’s the Difference?
- Leadership: Sets the culture. It’s about leading by example, showing staff what best practice looks like, and fostering a positive environment. For instance, I once mentored a care assistant, Sarah, who became a “falls champion,” boosting her confidence and improving our risk management.
- Governance: Focuses on systems—audits, action plans, and policies—that ensure quality. It’s the backbone of compliance, proving to CQC that you’re proactive about improvement.
What Good Governance Looks Like in Care
Governance can feel like a daunting term, especially for new care leaders. Ed likened it to “government”—guiding, setting rules, and ensuring everyone follows them. In practice, good governance in care covers every aspect of your service, from recruitment to kitchen hygiene. Here’s what it looks like:
- Clear Processes: Documented procedures for incidents, recruitment, and care delivery. For example, a robust safeguarding policy ensures staff know exactly how to report concerns.
- Regular Audits: Monthly checks on care plans, medication records, or staff training to spot and address gaps. At my care home, we introduced weekly audits after a near-miss with medication, catching errors early.
- Action Plans: When issues arise, create and follow through on plans to fix them. Ed stressed that CQC values services that address shortfalls transparently rather than ignoring them.
- Transparency: Be open about challenges. If a resident like Mary falls repeatedly, an action plan must show how you’ve adjusted her care to prevent recurrence.
3 Practical Tips On Making Governance Real: Not Just Paper Work
Care leadership ensures governance is embedded in daily operations, not just a box-ticking exercise. Ed shared 3 practical ways to make this happen:
- Evidence Improvement: Keep a log of actions taken after incidents. For example, after a resident’s fall, we updated our risk assessment and trained staff on mobility aids, evidencing our response to CQC.
- Share Responsibility: Appoint champions (e.g., nutrition or dementia champions) to oversee specific areas. This not only improves governance but also engages staff, reducing turnover.
- Regular Reviews: Make governance a standing agenda item in team meetings. I found that discussing audit findings monthly kept our team proactive and aligned.
Building a Stable Team Through Care Leadership
With 131,000 vacancies in UK social care and an 8.1% vacancy rate, as reported by Skills for Care, retaining staff is a critical challenge. Care leadership can turn this around by creating a workplace where staff feel valued. Ed offered these strategies:
- Reduce Turnover: Low staff turnover signals stability. At my service, we cut turnover by 15% by promoting internally, giving staff like Sarah roles as team leaders.
- Promote Locally: Ed cited Saving Social Care by Neil Eastwood, which advocates recruiting locally to build community ties. We found success hiring through local networks, like parent groups, fostering loyalty.
- Reward and Engage: Simple rewards, like “Carer of the Month,” boosted morale. Ed noted that a positive culture—where staff feel heard—outweighs pay increases. One carer stayed with us despite a higher offer elsewhere because she valued our team’s support.
- Minimize Agency Use: High agency use signals instability. By investing in training, we reduced agency shifts, ensuring consistent care for residents.
4 Effective Risk Management Tips in Care Leadership
- Person-Centred Assessments: Focus on the individual, not organisational risk. For example, if a resident wants to join a community event, assess how to make it safe rather than banning it. This aligns with CQC’s person-centred care guidance.
- Team-Based Approach: Involve staff, families, and residents in assessments. When we assessed a resident’s fall risk, input from her family helped us tailor mobility support, reducing incidents.
- Dynamic Reviews: Update assessments when needs change. A static risk assessment from three years ago won’t reflect a resident’s current mobility, risking CQC scrutiny.
- Avoid Over-Caution: Ed warned against being too risk-averse, which can limit residents’ independence. A balanced approach ensures safety while respecting choices.
The Risks of Staffing Shortages
- Inconsistent Care: Shortages lead to rushed or inconsistent care, lowering quality. I recall a week when we relied on agency staff, and residents noticed the lack of familiar faces.
- Staff Burnout: Overworked staff face burnout, increasing sickness and turnover. Ed noted that high sickness rates often reflect an unhappy workplace.
- Reactive Management: Shortages force leaders into “firefighting” mode, focusing on crises rather than improvement. This risks a lower CQC rating, as services struggle to move from “Good” to “Outstanding.”
Learning from Incidents: A Care Leadership Priority
When things go wrong, care leadership shines by turning incidents into opportunities for growth. Ed emphasized:
- Clear Policies: A safeguarding policy, like those recommended by Skills for Care, ensures staff report concerns confidently.
- Timely Reporting: Notify CQC and local authorities promptly about safeguarding issues. I once managed a case where delayed reporting led to CQC concerns, teaching me the value of transparency.
- Lessons Learned: Use tools like root cause analysis (RCA) or lessons learned logs to prevent recurrence. After a medication error, we implemented RCA, identifying training gaps and improving processes.
Transparency, as Ed noted, impresses CQC. A service that owns its mistakes and improves is more likely to earn a “Good” or “Outstanding” rating.
Moving from Good to Outstanding
Care leadership can elevate a service to “Outstanding” by focusing on continuous improvement. Ed’s top tip: Dedicate 20 minutes weekly to review successes. At my service, we started a “Wins of the Week” log, documenting moments like a resident’s family praising our dementia care. Over months, this built a portfolio of evidence for CQC, showcasing our commitment to quality.
Ed also recommended the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” cycle, a framework from NHS Improvement, to drive ongoing progress. Care leaders should:
- Identify Gaps: Regular audits highlight areas for improvement.
- Act Proactively: Implement action plans to address issues, like updating care plans after a fall.
- Celebrate Success: Recognize staff efforts to maintain morale and evidence outstanding care.
Your Care Leadership Journey Starts Here
Care leadership is about more than compliance—it’s about creating a service where residents thrive and staff feel valued. Whether you’re studying for a Level 3 or 5 Diploma or managing a care home, these strategies—rooted in governance, risk management, and team-building—will set you apart. Care Wizard supports this journey by connecting care leaders with training and resources to excel.
Visit Care Wizard to explore opportunities that align with your leadership goals.
