The Care Business Risk Diagnostic

Ready to find out where the real risk is?

This diagnostic identifies the hidden operational risks that come from gaps in your management layer — and gives you a clear next step to address them.

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Question 1 of 10

How often do you find out about a problem after it has already escalated?

• ARarely — my managers flag issues early and handle most things before they reach me.
• BOccasionally — I find out later than I would like, but it is not a constant pattern.
• CRegularly — I am frequently dealing with situations that have already gone further than they should.
• DAlmost always — by the time I hear about something it has usually become a much bigger problem.

Question 2 of 10

When you are away from the service, how confident are you that standards are being upheld the same as when you are there?

• AVery confident — I have a strong management layer and things run consistently without me.
• BFairly confident — broadly yes, though I know there are gaps I cannot fully see.
• CNot very confident — I suspect standards shift depending on who is on shift and whether I am around.
• DNot confident at all — I am rarely fully switched off because I do not trust what is happening without me.

Question 3 of 10

How consistent are standards across different managers, shifts, or sites in your service?

• AVery consistent — expectations are clear and applied evenly regardless of who is on.
• BMostly consistent — there are some differences but nothing I would consider a serious problem.
• CInconsistent in places — certain managers or shifts are noticeably weaker and I know it.
• DSignificantly inconsistent — the gap between my best and worst managers or shifts is a real concern.

Question 4 of 10

If your strongest manager was off for two weeks, what would happen to the stability of your service?

• AVery little — we have enough capability across the team to hold things steady.
• BSome pressure — it would be noticeable but we would manage without major problems.
• CSignificant pressure — standards would drop and I would probably need to step in more than I should.
• DIt would be a serious problem — too much depends on that one person and I know it.

Question 5 of 10

When a difficult conversation needs to happen with a staff member, how does your management team typically handle it?

• AThey handle it directly and promptly — I rarely need to get involved.
• BThey get there eventually, but often later than I would like and with more softening than is helpful.
• CThey tend to avoid it, soften the message, or pass it up to me rather than dealing with it themselves.
• DDifficult conversations almost always end up with me — my managers do not have the confidence or skill to handle them.

Question 6 of 10

When a member of staff is underperforming, how quickly does your management team typically address it?

• AQuickly — underperformance is spotted early and dealt with directly before it affects the rest of the team.
• BEventually — it gets addressed but usually later than it should and with more tolerance than is helpful.
• CSlowly — underperformance tends to be left too long, often until it becomes a formal issue or affects others.
• DIt rarely gets addressed at all unless I step in — my managers either do not spot it or do not feel confident tackling it.

Question 7 of 10

Have you had complaints from residents’ families in the last 6 months that were linked to staff behaviour or attitude?

• ANo — family feedback is generally positive and complaints of this kind are rare.
• BOne or two minor concerns — nothing serious but enough to be on my radar.
• CYes, a handful — and I suspect the issues behind them had been building for longer than I knew about.
• DYes, and it has been a pattern — complaints of this kind are more frequent than I would like and I know the management of staff behaviour is part of the problem.

Question 8 of 10

How much of your own time each week goes on situations your managers should be handling without you?

• AVery little — my time is spent leading the business, not managing day-to-day problems.
• BSome — I get pulled in occasionally but it is not taking over my week.
• CQuite a lot — a significant portion of my week goes on things that should not need my involvement.
• DMost of it — I am essentially doing my job and large parts of my managers’ jobs at the same time.

Question 9 of 10

How has your agency spend or staff turnover changed in the last 12 months?

• AIt has improved or stayed stable — retention is reasonable and agency reliance is low.
• BIt is broadly the same — not getting worse but not improving either.
• CIt has got worse — turnover is higher than I would like and agency costs are creeping up.
• DIt has got significantly worse — we are losing staff at a rate that is becoming a serious financial pressure.

Question 10 of 10

When a strong member of staff hands in their notice, what reason do they usually give?

• ARarely happens — we retain good people and when someone does leave it is usually for personal reasons unrelated to the workplace.
• BIt varies — there is no clear pattern and I do not always get a straight answer.
• CIt is often vague but I suspect it is connected to management, team dynamics, or feeling undervalued.
• DIt is usually linked to a specific manager, inconsistent treatment, or a feeling that problems in the team were not being dealt with.