Archived: Radis Community Care (Milton Village)

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good.

This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Regular reports and audits were carried out, including analysis of accidents, incidents, and feedback, which helped to identify areas for improvement. The provider had processes in place for staff to report incidents and near misses. These included reviewing and learning from incidents and adjusting people’s care accordingly to keep them safe. Staff confirmed they would report any concerns to the office straight away and that prompt action would be taken to keep people safe.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services.

The registered manager provided a range of examples of how they worked jointly with external services such as the mental health team and the occupational therapy service to ensure people’s identified care needs were referred to health professionals promptly.

The provider had processes in place to ensure relevant information about people’s care needs and their medications could be shared in the event people needed to be admitted to hospital. The registered manager liaised with hospital staff in readiness for people's discharge. Staff confirmed they were then updated about any changes to people’s care.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. As a result of concerns raised by relatives and input from the local authority safeguarding team, the provider was issued with a number of recommendations to improve their safeguarding processes and quality of care. We found appropriate action had been taken to make improvements.

People told us they felt very safe with staff and relatives were complimentary about the care delivered. Staff had completed safeguarding training in relation to both adults and children and understood how to monitor people for signs of abuse and how to escalate any concerns. A member of staff said, “I have no concerns regarding safeguarding”.

The registered manager had taken the correct actions to safeguard people and informed relevant parties of any concerns and the outcomes of these. Leaders understood their legal responsibilities in relation to the submission of statutory notifications to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The provider worked effectively and openly within the local authority safeguarding process concerning complaints raised by members of the public.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

Staff consulted with people when discussing how to keep them safe. People's care plans identified potential risks to them such as from falls and skin damage and detailed how these risks were to be mitigated. People had any equipment they needed either to mobilise themselves, or to be transferred safely by staff.

Staff told us people's care plans and risk assessments gave them enough guidance about how to manage risks to people. Staff were also aware potential risks to people could be higher depending on the time of day and how tired the person was. Therefore, staff said they needed to assess risks to people at the time they provided their care, as well as following the care plan, to ensure risks to people were mitigated.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

People all lived in their own properties with access to a call system. People were able to use the landlord’s property maintenance service if required and told us they were happy with the service provided. People who received the regulated activity all had a personal emergency evacuation plan; in the event this was required.

People were responsible for ensuring the maintenance and servicing of their equipment within their home. However, the provider also had equipment if required, for example, if a person fell and needed staff to support them using a hoist. The provider ensured the required safety and maintenance checks were completed on this equipment.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

Staff were safely recruited before receiving an induction to their role, which included the opportunity to shadow more senior staff. New staff were subject to satisfactory completion of their probation period. Staff were then supported with supervisions, competency assessments and an annual appraisal. Staff told us they received appropriate training and were supported positively by their manager.

People confirmed there were enough well trained, competent staff to support them at the times they wished. A person’s relative said, “I am not worried at all about staff training, they seem to know what they are doing”.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. Staff supported people to maintain their home environment.

People and relatives confirmed staff washed their hands and wore gloves and aprons when they should. The provider demonstrated good practice in relation to managing infections and keeping people and staff safe. Staff received training in infection control and were supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and aprons to use when providing care and support.

People using the service consistently reported that they were happy with the support they received from staff in managing their medicines. They told us they received their medication on time, which was particularly important for individuals prescribed time-sensitive medicines, such as those for Parkinson’s disease or diabetes.

Each person had a medicines risk assessment in place, alongside a detailed care plan that outlined the specific level of support they required. For example, some individuals needed staff to administer their medicines directly, while others only needed prompting. The care plans clearly stated when and how medicines should be given, any known allergies, and any particular preferences people had, such as taking tablets with food or water.

For those prescribed ‘as required’ (PRN) medicines, such as pain relief or anxiety medication, staff had access to clear protocols. These outlined when the medicine should be offered, how to monitor its effectiveness, and when to seek further medical advice.

All staff had completed up-to-date medicines training as part of their induction and ongoing professional development. Their competence was assessed regularly through observed practice and knowledge checks to ensure safe administration. A new care worker shadowed experienced staff and was assessed on their ability to follow correct procedures before being permitted to administer medicines independently.

Staff had access to the provider’s medicines policy and up-to-date guidance, including protocols for safe storage, administration, and disposal of medicines. In one case, when a person’s medication was changed following a hospital discharge, staff updated the care plan promptly and liaised with the GP and pharmacy to ensure there was no disruption in medication supply.