Well-led KLOE explained

The key lines of enquiry (KLOE) are the tools that regulatory bodies such as the CQC use to assess adult social care services and to award a quality rating. One of the five main questions inspectors ask is, "Is your service well-led?" But what does the CQC mean by "well-led" and what does that imply for your service?

How does the CQC define "well-led?"

"The leadership, management and governance of the organisation assures the delivery of high-quality and person-centred care, supports learning and innovation, and promotes an open and fair culture."

What does this mean for your service?

With these KLOEs, the CQC focuses on how the leadership, management and culture of your care service supports excellence in care planning and delivery. Managers and senior carers should lead by example and support employees at all levels to deliver high-quality care. Inspectors will expect to see:

• A clear vision and plausible strategy to deliver high-quality care and promote a positive day-to-day culture in your service. Basically, they want to see that your staff feels comfortable at work and is proud to be a part of your team. This requires your management team to advocate attitudes, values and behaviours of a person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering culture.
• A governance framework that ensures clear responsibilities and that quality, risk and regulatory requirements are understood. This framework should help you make sure that all legal requirements (for example, CQC registration requirements or safety and public health-related obligations) are understood and met. An important element of this should be adequate training for staff that focus on the responsibilities and accountability of all levels.
• Processes that involve and engage your clients, their loved ones, staff and the public. Show how you encourage feedback and active participation in all these groups in shaping the care you provide. Also, highlighting links you’ve built with the local community can help influence your rating.
• Continuous learning, improvements and innovation. Keeping track of performance and recording quality of care is a great way of identifying those opportunities for learning and optimisation. You should also evidence how you learn from incidents, to improve your service.
• Partnerships with other services and agencies, such as the local authority, healthcare providers or safeguarding teams. Indicate how you collaborate and share information with relevant third parties to deliver the best care possible to your clients.

How we support you with the well-led KLOE

Our platform not only supports you in delivering care, but it also helps you evidence the care and services you provide. In the Care Office, you can easily access the complete audit trail for each individual client and the service as a whole. Moreover, our ‘Care Quality Indicators’ report highlights some key indicators, such as care plans/support plans reviewed, for the well-led KLOE in one simple overview [Pro and Group Plans only].

Other features that will make preparing for that well-led KLOE inspection a breeze include:

• Team management
• Tasks
• Reports and charts
• Personalised timelines on the Family Portal
• Incident management
• Emergency admission packs

We've got a whole host of features that will help you provide outstanding care to your clients, including those tailored for care delivery, service efficiency and updating family and friends.

Useful CQC resources

• Key lines of enquiry for adult social care services
• KLOEs and ratings characteristics for adult social care services [PDF]
• Sources of evidence: what our inspectors look at against each KLOE [PDF]