HCRG Care Services Limited

HCRG Care Services Limited

Address: Progressive House, The Heath Business Park, RUNCORN, Cheshire, WA7 4QX Unique reference number (URN): 1278613

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured that there is a sufficiently effective culture of inclusion to support all apprentices to prosper in their studies. They have very recently started to prioritise this.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

Assessors use assessments at the start of the apprenticeship to identify apprentices' support needs. However, a few assessors do not consistently use this information to adapt their teaching so that apprentices are supported to develop the skills that they need to be successful at work.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured that staff receive appropriate training to use effectively the results of additional learning needs assessments that are completed at the start of the apprenticeship. Staff have also not received appropriate training on supporting apprentices in relation to barriers to learning, such as dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. Too often, apprentices are signposted to resources without sufficient support from assessors.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the support that staff put in place for apprentices with barriers to their learning. This means that they cannot be assured that support is suitable or adapted appropriately to meet apprentices’ needs.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Senior leaders have a clear and concise vision for apprenticeships at HCRG, which is to provide high-quality apprenticeship provision to meet the needs of the employers and the communities they serve. However, the organisation has undergone significant changes to management since the previous inspection, which has had a negative impact on the quality of its apprenticeships.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have an accurate understanding of their strengths and priorities for improvement. The self-assessment of their provision is accurate, and improvement plans to elicit further improvements are well considered. At the time of the inspection, the impact of all improvements that have been made was not fully evident, as they had only recently been put in place.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governance arrangements are not effective enough. The governance board lacks experience of members with an educational background to provide appropriate challenge and advice on senior leaders' plans for the development of their apprenticeships. This includes the lack of an inclusion strategy to support all apprentices to achieve their potential.

p.2

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have an effective oversight of the quality of training that apprentices receive and are particularly mindful of the areas that need to improve. They have recently developed an extensive suite of training to support assessors to improve their teaching and assessment skills. However, the full impact of this training is not yet in evidence, and teaching across different apprenticeships is not of a consistently high quality. Staff feel happy in their roles and can see how the recent changes in management are having a positive impact on the work of their team.

p.2

Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices benefit from appropriate careers education and tailored guidance. They are generally clear on their next steps, once they have completed their apprenticeship. This helps them to consider their progression, broader career routes and next steps. For example, assessors discuss level 3 team leader apprenticeships as a progression pathway from business administrator roles.

p.3

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders ensure that assessors provide apprentices with age-appropriate content on radicalisation and extremism, mental health, wellbeing and fundamental British values. Level 3 health and social care and team leader apprentices develop and demonstrate the professional behaviours they need to work in the NHS. For instance, these apprentices treat patients with empathy, respect and dignity and work in a reliable and consistent way in line with workplace policies. Apprentices know how to keep themselves safe online.

p.3

Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders provide suitable opportunities for apprentices to develop their wider development needs and interests. For example, level 5 operations department manager apprentices complete topics on academic writing skills and referencing, managing health and wellbeing, finance and mental health. This supports their ambitions to progress to higher level courses.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Achievement rates are not high enough on a few apprenticeships. Apprentices with barriers to their learning make slower progress from their starting points and achieve less well than their peers.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Most apprentices develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours, applying concepts, such as leadership models, conflict management and communication skills at work. However, too many apprentices do not complete their apprenticeship on time. Apprentices broadly develop the English, mathematical and digital skills they need to achieve their learning goals. However, they do not make sufficient progress towards achieving level 2 English and mathematics qualifications, with pass rates being too low and large numbers of apprentices still to take examinations.

p.3

Achievement Needs attention

Apprentices mostly progress into destinations that reflect their interests and align well with their career goals and aspirations. While destination data shows emerging positive progression for those who remain on their apprenticeship, too many apprentices in previous years have left the apprenticeship without completing it.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of training is not of a consistently high standard. In too many instances, assessors do not adapt their training strategies to meet the individual learning needs of neurodiverse apprentices. For example, group training sessions impede apprentices with autism spectrum disorder from focusing on what is being taught, and reasonable adjustments are, on occasions, not put in place for these apprentices.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Assessors do not consistently use the results of assessments completed at the start of the apprenticeship to plan a personalised curriculum that challenges all apprentices to achieve their potential.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Assessors do not ensure that employers are involved in progress reviews. This means that employers are often not aware of the knowledge and skills that apprentices need to practise at work to improve their performance further.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have designed a set of coherent curriculums in collaboration with employers to respond directly to skills shortages in the healthcare sector, and which align with the NHS 10-year plan. For instance, on the level 3 senior health support worker, leaders have introduced a theatre pathway to provide progression routes for staff working in surgical environments.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Assessors mostly sequence the curriculum logically. On the level 5 operational management apprenticeship, apprentices emphasise how the apprenticeship has supported them to develop their understanding of different leaderships styles. They can articulately explain how, in the latter part of the apprenticeship, they use the Johari window theory to support meaningful reflection. This has helped them to recognise discrepancies between how they perceive themselves and how others view their abilities.

p.4

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Training is not of a consistently high standard. Too often, apprentices who have barriers to learning do not have their learning and support needs considered fully. This impedes the progress that they make on their apprenticeship. Achievement rates for these apprentices are lower than their peers. Too often, apprentices' learning plans are not individualised to meet their specific needs. While all apprentices complete a range of assessments at the beginning of their apprenticeship, this information is not used to tailor their apprenticeship based on what they already know and can do.

p.4

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices are grateful for the range of topics that support them at work. Level 3 team leader apprentices know how to stay safe online and apply security features, such as virtual private networks. They know the importance of reporting anything suspicious to the IT department if they are unsure before clicking on anything or opening any attachments.

p.5

What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices value their apprenticeship because they can see how their new knowledge, skills and behaviours help them grow in confidence and apply learning directly in contexts, such as end-of-life care, managing teams, improving communication and taking on greater responsibility. When teaching and support are effective, apprentices feel well prepared, benefit from constructive feedback and appreciate opportunities, such as tripartite reviews and tailored help for end-point assessment. However, some apprentices’ experience inconsistency in their training and support, including disrupted assessor support and group sessions that often do not meet their individual needs. This affects how confident they feel about their progress and next steps.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should ensure that all apprentices, including those who have barriers to their learning, receive the appropriate support to ensure they can access learning and achieve their potential. Leaders should take action to ensure that apprentices with barriers to learning achieve in line with their peers. Leaders should ensure that they put in place appropriate actions to improve the achievement of the few apprenticeships that underperform. Leaders should ensure that members of the governance board have the knowledge and experience to provide appropriate challenge to senior leaders to improve the experience that apprentices receive. Leaders should ensure that staff use apprentices' starting points to plan individual learning for apprentices. Leaders should continue the focused work in developing staff skills in training and assessment to improve the quality of training that apprentices receive. Leaders should ensure that all assessors receive appropriate training to support

p.5

Next steps

apprentices effectively in relation to their barriers to learning.

p.5

About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

p.5

Team inspectors:

Helen Nellist, Ofsted Inspector Sam Hanmer, Ofsted Inspector Liz Greenhalgh, Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

p.6

Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Inspectors spoke with leaders, managers, governors, tutors, employers, learners and apprentices.

p.6

Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

HCRG Training Limited is an independent learning provider based in Runcorn, Cheshire. It provides training for apprentices in health and business sectors.

p.6

Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Apprentices study one of eight apprenticeship standards. There were 29 apprentices studying the level 3 senior healthcare support worker, 28 on the level 3 team leader, 19 on the level 5 coaching professional, 18 on the level 5 operations manager, 12 on level 3 lead adult care worker and 6 on level 3 business administrator. The remaining few apprentices were on the level 3 customer service practitioner and level 2 healthcare support worker.

p.6

Percentage of learning aims successfully achieved

Mr Patrick Birchall: Chief Executive Officer

p.6

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

p.7

Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.7

Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.7

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.7

Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8