Encore Care Homes

Explain the nature, background, vision and objectives of your organisation and, how you ensure business processes meet planned goals

Nature, Background, and Vision

Encore is an organisation that specialises in designing, building, and managing its own care homes. The organisation was formed in 2013 by David Hines, leveraging his experience in the care retirement sectors. Accordingly, our most important element is our residents. We offer personalised care to tens of residents, ensuring that they are safe, cared for, and get companionship. Encore provides exceptional professional care across all our homes- in all five types of senior care needs; “dementia, nursing, residential, respite, and palliative care.” We purpose to be outstanding in everything do. The commitment is evident in our strategy to foster longstanding partnerships with NHS experts to ensure that Encore is a leader in clinical excellence and the provision of the highest standards of care. Our dedication to offering the best care is evidenced by the highly qualified and dedicated teams which are specialised in elderly care. The vision at Encore Care Homes is caring about everyone and everything we do. We are a big family here, and truly personalised care commences with really knowing each other. We are driven by the three-pronged mission which encompasses providing the best care in state-of-the-art homes, having a happy, skilled, and responsive team, and supporting our local communities through sharing our learning and resources. Our values are derived from our residents and team members, and we try to foster them in our day to day activities. Values such as care, dignity, respect, safety, and kindness form the core of the organisation, and we are committed to upholding them without fail.

Organisational Objectives

The following are the short-term objectives of the organisation:

1. To build two care homes every year in the Southern region of England. This objective would increase our footprint in the region and enable us to serve more people in the community. Our 60-bed capacity currently limits us, and future expansion would greatly benefit the organisation as a whole.

2. To venture into specialist care. A county such as Hampshire needs such services direly, and such a strategic move would alleviate the problem.

3. Begin development initiatives for the ongoing funding needs of the organisation.

Objectives and Strategy

We have identified things which we must do as an organisation if we are to meet the set goals. First is to ensure maximum occupancy of our care homes by maintaining a high quality of care and catering to a diverse range of care requirements. Secondly, we have an impressive compensation structure for our staff which lowers dissatisfaction and thus turnover rates that would affect the achievement of goals. The presence of a nursing facility in the organisation also comes in handy since it ensures continuity of care when one of our residents requires intensive assistance.

Unit 2117: 2.2

Align business processes to the achievement of strategic goals

Unit 2077: 2.1

Develop the vision and objectives of a strategic business plan

B

 Explain what makes your organisation unique, and systems /processes used to benchmark its performance against its competitors

Competitive Advantage

Most nursing homes adopt a hospital model of care which suits them when accounting for billable hours (Fernandez et al., 2012). However, the quality of life for residents is incomparable when compared to what we offer at Encore Care Homes. We see old age as a new stage in life which comes with its set of new experiences and challenges. As such, we cater to more than just the physical and medical needs of our residents. We value social connections and individual dignity. The state-of-the-art rooms that we offer our residents are perhaps the most unique proposition of the organisation. The rooms are purpose-built with everything designed with the comfort of the resident in mind. The spacious, airy, and well-lit rooms also have a private wet room thus ensuring our residents enjoy every moment of their stay. One can personalise their room with their favourite photos, pictures and furniture pieces thus increasing the homey feeling at the homes. At Encore Care, we also care about the mental health of our residents. We help them identify activities they are interested in and how they can get involved with the local community.

Measuring Organisational Performance

Like any other business, we have competitors in our region. Some organisations offer similar services, and therefore we have to do our best to stay ahead of the pack. Therefore, it is, important that we endeavour to provide services that are superior to those offered by our opponents. We have in place a robust measurement system that will benchmark our performance against that of our competitors. The measures include staff turnover/ retention, staff satisfaction, consistent assignment, quality of life, clinical outcomes of care, and national survey compliance. The holistic system puts into consideration various aspects of the organisation including structure, processes, and outcome.   

Identify and explain who the

main stakeholders of your business/organisation are; the roles they play and how you involve them to stabilise the business to meet its planned needs.

The success of Encore Care Homes is dependent on the cooperation of all stakeholders. The primary stakeholders of the organisation are residents, family members, registered nurses, physicians, and administrators. The residents are the reason for the organisation’s existence and its success to date. At Encore Care Homes, it is not just about us taking care of the residents. The residents help us improve our structures and processes by providing invaluable feedback. Family members also help us improve our services in addition to helping our residents enjoy their time at the homes. Registered nurses and other support staff spend the most time with our residents making sure that their physical, medical, and emotional needs are attended to. The quality of their service and their professionalism is key to helping the organisation meet its objectives. The management team is responsible for upholding the values of the organisation and driving it towards its vision through the implementation of objectives. A cohesive management team is imperative if the organisation is to achieve envisioned growth and ensure that our residents enjoy the best quality of life (Morley et al., 2014).

Unit 2117: 3.2

Benchmark an organisation’s performance against its competitors

Unit 2074: 1.4:

Explain the role of stakeholders in the development of business strategic business plans.

Unit 2074: 1.5

Explain how to involve stakeholders in the development of strategic business plans

C

Identify and explain areas for improvements/changes within your organisation/business strategies that impacts on:

a) It’s Social and environmental needs.

1. Explore potential connections with local schools. This strategy would help our residents form social bonds with the local community in addition to providing additional activities to occupy their time. Students from the select schools could visit twice a month for ”heritage trips” where they could take lessons in our residents’ area of specialisation. The initiative would include lessons in areas such as gardening, fishing, cooking, and many more.

2. Increase the number of social activities in our weekly schedule. We offer social activities such as board games and cards, holiday programmes, and story time. However, with our growing population of residents, it would be better if we diversified the range and number of social activities to involve everyone at the homes. Introducing activities such as ice cream socials, tailgate parties, and musical events could increase participation and hence the well-being of everyone involved.   

b) Operational performance and the leadership of people

1. Reduce monthly costs for residents so that our care facilities can be accessible by families with moderate incomes. We care for our community and providing affordable services to everyone would be in line with our mission statement. As such, optimising our operational costs is a priority if we are to increase our involvement with the community.   

2. Increasing the use of consistent assignment. Residents prefer receiving care from individuals they are familiar with at all times. It is, therefore, imperative that we streamline our staff roster to make this achievable and build on the consistency of execution.

3. Increasing person-centred care-planning and decision-making. Personalization of care is a major aspect of our business model, and enhancement of this aspect of our business will enable us to provide the services that our residents deserve.

Explain your reasons for these improvements/changes and what impact do you foresee if these are not made.

All the suggested alterations aim at improving the quality of our residents’ stay at the organisation. We care for the mental and social well-being of our residents and increasing contact with the local community, and their social activities will help make their stay more desirable. The improvement of the operational aspect of the organisation will play an influential role in the achievement of the set objectives. If the operational changes are not made in the short term, we risk lagging behind our competitors and losing a portion of our market share as a result.

Unit 2117: 3.4

Evaluate the environment and social impact of an organisation

Unit 2117: 3.5

Identify areas for improvement in strategies relating to operational performance and the leadership of people

Unit 2117: 3.6

Identify areas for improvements in strategies relating to the Social and environmental impact of an organisation 

Unit 2077:1.3:

Assess the place of change management within strategy execution

D

Explain your organisation/business structure and ways you propose a new/improved strategy will impact on organisational development and structure of the workforce. Include information on tools you will use to monitor the process and their benefits.

Organisational Structure

Many staff members with a wide variety of skill sets are required to coordinate their efforts for a nursing home to run correctly. We operate based on a strong hierarchical organisational structure which is based on the specialisation of labour and cooperation between various departments of the organisation. The chief executives are the face of the company and are responsible for policy making and other administrative tasks. The chief nursing officer is in charge of all caregiving employees works hand-in-hand with the operations director to ensure that the needs of the residents are met sufficiently. Nursing managers are in charge of designated sectors or floors at the nursing home and report to the chief nursing officer. The direct support staff in the care-giving department include registered nurses and their assistants. The organisation also has general support staff who are responsible for operational activities such as cleaning the facility, preparing meals for residents, and landscaping.  

Proposed Changes

Research in elderly care is increasing our knowledge on better techniques that would enhance the care of the elderly. As such, investing in continued staff training would greatly help the organisation’s staff development. This would increase employee satisfaction which usually has a positive effect on the quality of care provided to residents. The effect of this is that our workforce would improve their service to our residents.

Tools to Monitor Organisational Development

We will use Kirkpatrick’s 4-level approach to measure the effectiveness of the regular training programs at the organisation. Using the model, we will assess the reaction, learning progress, and behaviour of the staff, in addition to measuring tangible results such as increased productivity and employee retention. The approach is suitable for Encore Care because its multidimensional nature enables a holistic review of organisational development thus ensuring that the process does not deviate from organisational goals.

What plans/strategies do you have to manage employee engagement and employer relations within your team and stakeholders during the improvement /change period to avoid friction and, why you feel they will be effective.

1.  Changing our organisational dynamics

In order to maximise cohesion in the workplace and increase the chances of successfully adopting change, we need to invest in concepts such as continuous improvement. The consistent interaction between various stakeholders will make the workforce more receptive to change.

2. Shifting the Burden of Change

The change process is usually associated with employee reactions and attitudes. However, many fail to appreciate the adaptability that employees show if educated sufficiently by the organisation. By investing in information flow, we can create and adopt new processes and workflows gradually without placing too much emphasis on the role of the workforce (Carnall, 2018).

2117: 3.3

Evaluate the effectiveness of an organisation’s employee engagement and employee relations strategies.

Unit 2117: 1.1:

Assess the implications of corporate strategy and organisational development on organisational structure and workforce composition

Unit 2074: 3.3

Develop plans to manage the supply chain, interdependences and the potential for friction

Unit 2077: 1.6:

Evaluate the scope of tools for monitoring strategic performance.

PART 2

E: Lead the development of a knowledge management strategy 2959

Explain the role of staff in the development of a knowledge management strategy and the nature of knowledge management as a strategic asset

Knowledge management is a modern concept in the world of strategic management that revolves around capturing, distributing, and effectively using knowledge (Hislop, Bosua, and Helms, 2018). We acknowledge the importance of an effective knowledge management strategy for a growing organisation such as ours. An effective strategy would provide a foundation for the further growth and expansion of Encore Care Homes. An expanding organisation has to learn and adapt quickly; this is much easier with the right knowledge system in place. Also, a proper strategy would increase response time in the decision-making process, foster product improvement, and help cut costs within the organisation. The benefits reviewed make knowledge management an integral part of a firm’s operations. It is necessary to involve employees during the formulation and implementation of a knowledge management strategy. During the identification of knowledge assets, employees play a key role because their feedback determines their knowledge hierarchy and how the information will be presented. Even during the soft launch period, the feedback from employees is paramount. The knowledge management system is meant for the employees since it is all about reducing the amount of time taken to reach a knowledge expert. As such, change management will mainly revolve around employees. Acceptance of the system by staff will ensure a smooth transition and eventually help guarantee the success of the system.

How do you plan to develop, share and transfer knowledge within the business?

At Encore Care Homes we deal with a diverse range of residents, each with their specific set of needs. The result of this is a complex and fragmented flow of information within the organisation. The plan in place is to evaluate and assess all information needs and prioritise them. For all the care types, there is a specialised school of knowledge. We, therefore, intend to involve all staff members in identifying knowledge assets and identifying the expertise and technology tools that would be required. We already have a knowledge referral database in place, and so it is all about finding and filling gaps.   

Which specified standards, processes and protocols that support knowledge creation, sharing and protection within your organisation?

Due to the nature of our business, we have always held knowledge management in high regard. As such, there is a variety of enablers which foster the sharing, re-use, creation, creation, acquisition, and protection of knowledge. These include an organisational culture that is receptive to change, document management, data mining, expert guides, workflow analyses and performance measures, and knowledge coordinators (Diedrich and Guzman, 2015). The presence of these enablers has helped the organisation surpass inherent limitations and grow steadily since its inception.

Provide information on technologies and suppliers that are capable of meeting current and likely future information, knowledge and communications needs within required security and resource constraints.

At the moment, we need a distributed knowledge management system so that staff at the various homes can access the knowledge. In addition, it has to be secure and measurable. The latter specification will enable us to determine the effectiveness of the system. Inherent features such as categorisation, collaboration, discussion boards, data management, and self-learning are also necessary for our organisation’s knowledge management system. Based on our research on feasible alternatives, two knowledge management software have stood out. They are Confluence and Zoho Connect.  They both meet the aforementioned requirements and would help take the organisation to the next level.

Unit 2959: 1.3

Assess the role of staff in the development of a knowledge management strategy

Unit 2959: 1.4

Assess the nature of knowledge management as a strategic asset

Unit 2959: 2.1

Identify the scope for the creation, development, sharing and transfer of knowledge

Unit 2959; 2.4

Specify standards, processes and protocols that support knowledge creation, sharing and protection

Unit 2959: 3.3

Select technologies and suppliers that are capable of meeting current and likely future information knowledge and communications needs within required security

and resource constraints   

F: Shape Organisational culture and values

Explain the effect of different cultures and values within your organisation on its

a) business performance

b) place in the market?

Diversity in the workplace is something that many organisations strive for in the contemporary world because it brings more varied experience to an organisation. At Encore Care Homes, diversity has enabled us to generate more income as a result of broader sales and increased productivity. By broadening our perspective, we become more profitable. The diversity has also influenced our positioning in the market. We are now able to attract a diverse range of residents thus increasing our market share compared to other homes in the market.

Outline the nature, strengths and weaknesses of organisational culture, subcultures and values within your organisation

Encore Care Homes prides itself with a culture of service and excellence. This personality has developed over the years of the organisation’s existence based on our mission and values. Elements such as care, dignity, respect, safety, and kindness are the core values and represent our absolute commitment to our residents and their families. This result is a culture based on familial values, trust, and a constant effort to improve the quality of our services. The organisational culture and the associated values are a major reason why we have been so successful in our short existence. The strong culture has empowered individuals within the organisation invoke critical thinking as they seek to provide the best care to our residents. Additionally, the organisation’s pursuit of excellence has increased overall agility due to the many times we have to adjust to best practices and other trends. The inherent weakness of the organisational culture and values is that it may lead to the neglect of financial goals which are also of importance.

Subcultures at encore homes are largely positive and are based on work teams. Staff working in individual care departments have a strong sense of belonging due to the experiences they share on a daily basis. The benefit is counterintuitive since it may lead to the alienation of other employees. As a result, we always try to organise company-wide events to make everybody feel like an important part of Encore homes.  

Identify and explain the role of change management techniques in developing a vision, strategy and structures as well as, the factors that influence positive organisational cultures and values.

The organisational culture and values are intact at Encore homes due to the tight-knit group of employees we have at the moment. However, we could take a step further and redefine ourselves and chart a path to become even better at serving our residents. Change management techniques usually help organisations in transition, and they could also help strengthen our organisational culture at Encore Care Homes. Clarifying strategic priorities would help define what the change intends to achieve by setting actionable steps. In the case of our organisation, our vision is to care about everyone and everything we do. An actionable step here would be providing constant reassurance to families through excellent service and feedback. This would influence the organisational value of care and help anchor it to the organisational culture.

A positive work environment is also a contributing factor in this context since it influences the quality of work and employee morale.

Unit 2079: 1.6:

Assess the role of change management techniques in developing positive organisational cultures and values

Unit 2079: 2.1

Characterise the nature, strengths and weaknesses of organisational culture, subcultures and values within an organisation

Unit 2079: 2.2:

Identify the factors that influence organisational culture and values

Unit 2079: 2.4

Assess the effect of different organisational

cultures and values on

business performance and

an organisation’s place in the market

Unit 2079: 2.5:

Develop a vision, strategy and structures for influencing organisational culture and values.

G: Develop and manage collaborative relationships with other organisations Unit:2059:

Explain strategies/ structures /vision your organisation can develop/formulate that can take account of its operating environment and stakeholders expectations.

 We are a player in a relatively new industry that continues to evolve. Significant changes in our operating environment can be attributed to evolving customer needs, regulatory pressures, and intensifying competition in the industry. We have, therefore, developed a culture that is receptive to change so that we can adapt to the changing operating environment as fast as possible. Our stakeholders include the residents, their families, our staff, and our investors. They all expect the organisation to be successful but have different perspectives on what success is. The general expectations are for us to uphold our values and provide quality care and register good financial performance. To manage the expectation of all stakeholders, we must focus on open and effective communication. This way we can keep all stakeholders engaged throughout the organisation’s various projects. Involving stakeholders in decision-making is also a good strategy to manage their expectations. They would feel appreciated and support any course of action that the management takes (Herremans, Nazari, and Mahmoudian, 2016).

Assess the nature of potential stakeholders’ interest and needs and explain arrangements that can be put in place to manage relationships that will realise the benefits of collaboration.

Collaboration with stakeholders is an appealing idea because when it works well it enhances problem-solving and leads to new ideas in the organisation. However, collaboration can also be problematic when solving complex problems since group dynamics lead to prolonged stand-offs. At Encore Care we are committed to making collaboration work, and we have come up with a couple of strategies to help realise the benefits of collaboration. Besides communication and engagement, we always strive to show stakeholders the value of their input. By doing this, stakeholders can see how their input was taken up or even why it was rejected. In essence, conflict management is key to the organisation benefitting from stakeholder collaboration.

What process will you follow to develop a viable stakeholder engagement plan that is consistent with the organisational strategy, objectives and values and; what needs to be included in it?

All stakeholders play an essential role in helping the organisation meet its set objectives. As such, a concrete plan to help direct engagement with all stakeholders would be an important foundation. The first consideration, in this case, is what approach will be used when engaging with stakeholders. Due to the nature of the organisation, the participation approach works best since communication is two-way and engagement is within the limits of responsibility (Payne and Calton, 2017). This step will be followed by stakeholder mapping which helps categorise stakeholders based on parameters such as influence and network capacity. At Encore Care Homes, the resident is our priority. The residents will, therefore, be consulted first with their families helping out in cases where a resident is indisposed. As for stakeholders such as the local community and regulatory authorities, keeping them informed is enough. The next step in the plan development is coming up with stakeholder engagement activities. This involves strategising and will include plans for consultations, identifying communication methods, and the frequency of engagement. By including these aspects, we keep true to our organisational objectives and strive to improve the quality of our services. The engagement plan will also include a grievance mechanism process to enable timely and accurate responses to our stakeholders.

Unit:2059:

1.1 Assess the nature of potential

stakeholders’ interest and needs

Unit 2059:

 3.3: Develop arrangements to manage relationships that will realise the benefits of collaboration

Unit 2059:

3.2 Develop a viable stakeholder engagement plan that is consistent with organisational strategy, objectives and values

H: Lead the development of a quality strategy 2101:

Explain your scope for a quality strategy and how you have devised or will devise a strategy capable of assuring and controlling the quality of work to agreed standards to include: systems and processes that you have in place or, will devise to monitor quality standards within your organisation.

The quality strategy for Encore Care Homes is an approach which aims prioritising quality in everything we do. It comprises a set of quality activities that are carried out every time we deal with a resident, and that everyone approves. We already have a quality strategy in place, whose ultimate aim is to deliver care of the highest quality to our residents and continuously look to improve on various aspects of our operational activities. We perceive residents as partners in their care. Thus, we listen to their feedback and act to improve on things they point out. The scope of the quality strategy is wide since our vision to care about everyone and everything we do. The quality strategy encompasses the following: caring and compassionate staff; effective collaboration between all stakeholders; a safe and hygienic care environment; clear communication; clinical excellence; and continuity of care. All activities at our homes strive to achieve the standards highlighted in the quality strategy. To ensure progress and maintenance of the quality standards, we have a quality measurement framework in place. The framework has quality outcome indicators that show progress towards the standards of the quality strategy. The indicators included are care experience, end of life care, personal outcomes, safe care, resource use, employee engagement, and self-assessed general health (Rantz, Flesner, and Zwygart-Stauffacher, 2010).  The interpretation of individual indicators enables the organisation to mark out areas that would need improvement. Based on this monitoring process, we can formulate relevant policies to help improve the quality of our services.

Select (giving examples of) technologies and suppliers that are capable of meeting your current and likely future quality needs within constraints.

Quality management is necessary since it would enable the organisation to coordinate, control, and direct various tasks and activities so that they can meet the quality strategy standards. QMS Wrapper is a software offering that would be perfect for the organisation due to its emphasis on workflow processes. It also has built-in team messaging facilities that would ensure that staff at all homes work towards the quality strategy standards. Other feasible alternatives are IntraStage and Process Street.

 Unit 2101: 2.1:

Identify the scope of a quality strategy

Unit 2101: 2.2:

Devise a strategy that is capable of assuring and controlling the quality of work to agreed standards.

Unit 2101: 3.1: Implement systems and procedures that are capable of monitoring quality standards

I: Promote equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion: 2053

Explain the extent to which equality, diversity and inclusion strategies, policies and practices are fit for purpose within your organisation and, the basis for setting criteria to evaluate their effectiveness.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are important elements of a socially responsible organisation. Every business wants to be innovative and productive; these elements could help a business achieve this (Coppin, 2017). A variety of strategies is used to help achieve equality, diversity, and inclusion. However, an organisation should not arbitrarily implement a strategy just because it promotes diversity and inclusion. A common strategy is recruiting staff from a diverse, qualified pool of candidates through advertising in a broad range of publications. One could measure the success of this strategy by determining the increase in representation of diverse employees. This strategy would work at Encore Care Homes due to its generic nature. We recruit employees on a regular basis, and we could tweak the outcome by advertising more broadly. Another strategy is fostering a culture that promotes collaboration and flexibility. Actions such as inclusive leadership training and establishing advocacy groups for employees could help in the implementation of this strategy. The effectiveness of this policy could be measured by evaluating the participation and enthusiasm of employees and managers. We already have an inclusive culture at our homes, and this policy move would be perfect for us since it would not involve any departing from the norm. Identification and breakdown of systemic barriers to diversity and inclusion would also help drive the agenda in question. The feat is easily achievable in our organisation and would help drive the agenda from a systemic perspective.    

Ide